Zamalek failed to revive their Egyptian League campaign after being held to a depressive goalless draw by Arab Contractors on Friday. The Whites were in desperate need of a win after an embarrassing 3-1 home defeat to Olympic last week, especially after the latest managerial amendments. One day before the game, Mamdouh Abbas had handed in his resignation as the club chairman. Ahmed Refaat and Ahmed Ramzi have been reinstated as assistant coaches. The Cairo giants playmaker Mahmoud Abdul-Razek 'Shikabala' made his long-awaited comeback after serving a lengthy six-month suspension by FIFA, but his impact was not drastic. Zamalek coach Reiner Hollmann plotted an unusual strategy in the first half, having deployed natural midfielder Ayman Abdul-Aziz as a right-back. Ahmed Ghanem played on the left while Junior Agogo was fielded as a lone striker. Unconverted Chances After a brief cagey start, Ehab Al-Masri could have put Contractors ahead when he headed Rami Rabie's cross from close range, but Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed brilliantly saved it. The midfielder tried his luck again several minutes later with a powerful shot, which drifted wide of the mark. The Home side replied fiercely and took a stranglehold on the game, but haplessly couldn't slot home.
Zamalek still out-of-sorts Ahmed Magdi cannoned a goal-ward shot that was denied by the post on 17 minutes. The Jinxed side were close to breaking the deadlock by Agogo's precise header, which hit the crossbar. The crossbar saved Contractors again when it blocked Abdul-Aziz's tame shot minutes later. In the first-half dying minutes, unmarked Shikabala gathered the ball in a perfect position beside the penalty spot, but he mis-hit the ball. Zamalek's onslaught didn't earn them the lead as the visitors couldn't convert their few opportunities either. After the interval, Hollmann's men kept the upper hand, piling up pressure on their opponents. Defender Mahmoud Fathallah's intact header was saved by Mohamed Al-Akabawi, whose heroics kept his team's hopes alive till the very last minute. Both sides attempted to score with wide-range shot rather more, as their attacks from the flanks were to no avail. Substitute Abdul-Halim Ali failed to whip in a good cross for the well-positioned Shikabala, who could have scored a precious winner. Contractors were slightly dangerous on the counter attack, but the hosts maintained the ball possession superiority. In the last ten minutes, the White fans lost their patience and jeered their own players, who couldn't translate their dominance into goals.
