Zamalek striker Amr Zaki said he and his teammates were desperate to give their fans something to cheer about after a troubled period as the team reached the Egyptian Cup semi-final. The Cairo giants risked losing their only realistic target this season after falling behind to an early strike by Suez Cement's Mohamed Al-Fayoumi. Matters went from bad to worse early in the second period when substitute Gamal Hamza was sent off for picking up two bookings. However, Zamalek managed to storm back to score four goals and book their place in the semi-final, where they will face Harras Al-Hodoud. "We (the players) talked a lot at halftime to make sure we don't upset our faithful fans once again," Zaki told FilGoal.com late on Thursday. "A cup exit would have ended our season. It would have been a very painful defeat." Zamalek have not won a single title since winning the Egyptian League in the 2003/2004 season. Their league hopes this season virtually ended, with all to play for in the Egyptian Cup. "I was very confident we would turn around the deficit even though we were late in scoring the equalizer. The players were determined to fulfill their aim of reaching the semis," Zaki added. Ibrahim's Dream Zamalek defender Mohamed Ibrahim, who scored Zamalek's fourth, revealed that he dreamt he would be on the scoresheet. "It was nice a dream, I'm happy it has happened in reality," the 22-year-old told FilGoal.com. Ibrahim, who was given rare playing time, was happy to play in the heart of Zamalek's midfield despite being used as a right-back recently. "Since the appointment of Mohamed Helmi as an assistant coach, he used me in midfield. That's helped me put in a good display against Suez Cement."
