Amr Zaki scored in the second-half to help Zamalek come from behind and earn a hard-fought 2-1 away victory over Suez Cement in the Egyptian League on Friday. Mahmoud Al-Nadi capitalized on a dreadful error by Zamalek keeper Mohamed Abdul-Monsef to score the opener in the 29th minute but Gamal Hamza leveled the score just before the interval. Zaki, who received two offers from unnamed Premiership clubs, sealed the victory for Zamalek in the 52nd minute. The victory put Zamalek in second place of the league table with 23 points while Suez lie ninth on 15 points. Suez Cement had the upper hand in the first-half and threatened the visitors on two occasions before grabbing the lead. The first chance came in the 20th minute through Al-Nadi who sent a low drive that went just wide from the edge of the area. Unmarked Ahmed Bakri almost broke the deadlock in the 28th minute when received Adel Mostafa's pinpoint cross with a glancing header that struck the post. Suez deservedly took the lead just one minute later after Abdul-Monsef's poor clearance hit the body of Cameroonian striker Jorge Arino, who collected the loose ball in the left-flank and provided a low cross to the onrushing Al-Nadi to poke home from close range.
Hamza celebrates after the equalizer Right after Suez's opener, Zamalek Portuguese coach Manuel Cajuda fielded Abdul-Halim Ali instead of Awuley Quaye 'Junior' to play with three forwards in a bid to level the score. The Cairo side equalized just before the break when Tarek Al-Sayed beat the offside trap with a chip pass inside the area to Hamza, who fired a brilliant first-timer into the back of the net. Egypt international Zaki put Zamalek ahead seven minutes after re-start as he latched-on to Mohamed Aboul-Ella's through pass before drilling a right-footed strike into the right bottom corner of the net. Zamalek then dominated in terms of possession and wasted several chances to add the third while Suez tried to take advantage of counter attacks. Arino squandered a glorious opportunity nine minutes past the hour mark when he fired wide with the goal at his mercy. One minute later, Suez keeper Ali Hegazi dived to block Abdul-Halim's deflected shot. Elsewhere, Mohamed Fadl scored a hat-trick to help Ismaili crush Asyut Petroleum 3-0 away from home to maintain their position on top of the league. The Dervishes are in charge of the table with 24 points, one ahead of second-placed Zamalek.
