Amr Al-Safti's early goal gave Zamalek a 1-0 home victory over Dynamos Harare in the Champions League as the Cairo giants breathed a sigh of relief. Zamalek were desperate to claim the full three points after their 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals Ahli in Group A opener last month. They also needed to return to winning ways following another loss at the hands of Ahli in the Egyptian Super Cup last week. The White Knights looked as though they would win by a wide margin after their early lead through Al-Safti. However, they couldn't add more goals and were even threatened by Zimbabwe's Dynamos in the latter stages of the game. But the final whistle brought an ecstatic reaction from Zamalek fans, who feared that their side would stumble once again. Zamalek moved to second spot in the group with three points, one behind Cairo neighbors Ahli. Dynamos also have three points while Ivory Coast's ASEC Mimosas lie at the bottom with just one point. Early Opener Zamalek needed four minutes to open the scoring through tough-tackling defender Al-Safti. Gamal Hamza gathered the ball inside the area after a goal-mouth scramble. The talented forward then laid off the ball to Al-Safti, whose low shot went into the bottom corner of the net.
Hamza could have turned from provider to scorer after seven minutes when he went one-on-one after being fed by Mohamed Abdullah's through pass. But his poor shot was easily collected by Dynamos keeper Willard Manyatera as Zamalek wasted a golden opportunity to extend their advantage. The hosts kept pushing forward seeking to set the tone for a one-way traffic match. In the 14th minute, Manyatera gifted Abdullah the ball on the edge of the area but atoned for his mistake when he handled the midfielder's weak lob. Dynamos had the upper hand afterwards for a considerable time but their attempts were constantly denied by Zamalek's in-form sweeper Hani Saied. The visitors were unlucky not to equalize in the 33rd minute when a fierce free-kick cannoned off the crossbar. Wasted Opportunities Zamalek wasted several clear-cut chances to put the result beyond doubt. Al-Safti almost scored his second goal of the night two minutes after restart when his near-post header struck the post. Eight minutes later, Hamza's shot from inside the area was also denied by the woodwork. Zamalek failed to capitalize on numerous counter-attacks. Abdullah's sluggishness was to blame for the team's failure to make neat counter attacks. Dynamos pressed forward and threatened Zamalek keeper Mohamed Abdul-Monsef but their efforts were to no avail.
