Zamalek goalkeeper Mohamed Abdul-Monsef turned from hero to villain to gift Ismaili a 1-0 home victory in the Egyptian League on Wednesday. The Egypt stand-in guardian produced a superb reflex save to deny Omar Gamal's free header ten minutes from time. However, he was to blame for Zamalek's defeat seven minutes later when he failed to handle an easy shot from Hosni Abd-Rabou at the far post, pushing the ball into his own net instead. Ismaili defeated Zamalek 1-0 in a similar fashion in the league opener through Mostafa Karim's late strike at Cairo Stadium. Zamalek dropped to fifth place in the league table with 27 points, two behind fourth-placed Ismaili, who have a game in hand. The Whites' hopes of securing a Champions League spot are gradually fading. Zamalek coach Ruud Krol surprisingly put Mahmoud Abdul-Razeq 'Shikabala' on the bench, despite being given the all-clear to field the talented winger. Right-back Mohamed Abdullah, who arrived from Turkish side Konyaspor in the January transfer window, made his Zamalek debut. On the other hand, African Cup of Nations best player Hosni Abd-Rabou partnered Mohamed Hommos in the heart of Ismaili's midfield. Ismaili dominated possession for the entire first-half but failed to capitalize on numerous free-kicks on the flanks.
Fadl was tugged by Fathallah Abd-Rabou's set-pieces were repeatedly cleared by Zamalek defenders, who were not troubled despite Ismaili's complete domination. Zamalek's Egyptian international defender Mahmoud Fathallah made sure all Ismaili's attempts weren't effective after putting in a solid display at the back. The Cairo giants' only chance fell to veteran full-back Tarek Al-Sayed, who found himself in space about 20 yards out but blasted poorly wide. Abdullah was replaced at halftime, making way for pacey winger Ahmed Ghanem. Krol seemingly feared that the former Ahli man would collect a red card after he was needlessly booked for a reckless challenge on an opponent. Mohamed Fadl should have put Ismaili ahead 12 minutes after restart but his low shot from inside the area was easily collected by Abdul-Monsef. Few moments later, Ismaili players were furious after referee Fahim Omar waved away a penalty claim. Fadl raced clear on goal before being tugged by Fathallah. Nevertheless, he managed to keep his balance to shoot straight into Abdul-Monsef legs. Fahim adjudged the contact to be minimal, to the frustration of the Dervishes' players. In the 80th minute, the unmarked Gamal connected with a long throw-in to head goalwards, only to be denied by an impressive reflex save from Abdul-Monsef. But Abd-Rabou gave Ismaili a precious victory three minutes before the final whistle when his near-post effort struck Abdul-Monsef arms and went into the back of the net.
