Zamalek moved three points clear in second place after claiming a hard-fought 2-1 away victory over Ghazl Mahalla in the Egyptian League on Thursday. The visitors went two up after ten minutes, thanks to a brace from forward Gamal Hamza. Mahalla striker Ahmed Hassan gave his side a lifeline just before the break but Zamalek survived late scares to snatch a precious win. The result put Zamalek in second place of the league table with 43 points, three ahead of third-placed Ismaili, who can go level with the Cairo giants if they beat Ahli later in the day. Zamalek and Ismaili aim to finish as runners-up in order to earn the final CAF Champions League qualifying spot. Romping Start Hamza broke the deadlock after seven minutes, thanks to some poor goalkeeping from Ibrahim Farag. Shikabala's cross from the left picked out the unmarked Hamza, whose weak side-footed shot struck Farag's legs before crossing the goal-line. Farag was the culprit once again three minutes later when he fumbled Sherif Ashraf's shot towards his own goal. Hamza found no difficulty in slotting into an empty net. Zamalek should have extended their advantage on several occasions but were guilty of missing some easy opportunities. In the 35th minute, Shikabala's superb long ball found Ashraf inside the area. The young striker tried to lob Farag, who managed to backtrack to handle the ball.
Shikabala squandered a glorious opportunity to add a third five minutes later. He latched onto Hamza's deft through pass to go clear before rounding Farag but his poor shot went across goal. Zamalek were made to pay for their wastefulness four minutes before the break. Mahalla top scorer Hassan rose unmarked to head a right-wing cross past Zamalek keeper Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed. Missed Chances Both sides missed clear-cut goalscoring opportunities in the second period. Few minutes after restart, Ashraf's superb back-heel pass released right-back Mohamed Abdullah. Farag made amends for his earlier blunders when he rushed out to block Abdullah's close-range effort. Zamalek striker Amr Zaki, who missed the last few games through injury, was introduced instead of Ashraf. He made an impact shortly after his introduction when his brilliant curling free-kick struck the crossbar. Zamalek had to thank Al-Sayed for maintaining their advantage five minutes from time when his outstanding one-handed save denied Hassan's shot from six yards.
