Zamalek suffered more misery on Friday as they slumped to a 2-0 away defeat to struggling side Asyut Petroleum, their third successive Egyptian League loss. Fathi Mabrouk opened the scoring in the 31st minute and defender Ahmed Sayed ensured the victory with a stoppage-time penalty as Zamalek failed to find the net for the fifth consecutive match. Both sides finished with ten men. Asyut had Cameroonian defender Masinga Vitale dismissed early in the second half while Zamalek's Amr Al-Safti was sent off late in the game, both for second bookable offenses. Crisis-hit Zamalek, whose last league win was in October, are seventh in the league table with 18 points, just three above the relegation zone. The White Knights' lowest league position came in the 2005/2006 season, when they finished in sixth place. Asyut climbed out of the relegation zone as they moved to the 13th spot on 16 points. Absentees Zamalek had to do without a host of key players against Asyut due to injuries or suspensions. Interim coach Ahmed Refaat had no choice but to field youngster Hossam Arafat in Zamalek's starting line-up for the second game running. Midfielder Alaa Kamal also played from the beginning but the summer arrival once again failed to impress. His too many mis-placed passes did Zamalek no favors in their attempts to create goalscoring opportunities. On the other hand, Asyut adopted a cautious strategy, relying on counter attacks that repeatedly bothered the visitors. With Zamalek missing defensive duo Mahmoud Fathallah and Hani Saied, their backline was exposed after 13 minutes. Playmaker Hani Abdullah latched onto Sayed's through pass and went clear on goal, but his effort was thwarted by Zamalek's evergreen keeper Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed. Kamal should have put Zamalek ahead in the 29th minute when he was found unmarked inside the box by Ashraf's low cross but his weak shot was easily blocked by Nasser Farouk.
Asyut too good for Zamalek! Mabrouk stunned Zamalek two minutes later after capitalizing on some sloppy defending. He was left completely unmarked at the far post to gather a neat pass and hit a powerful left-footed shot into the top right-hand corner of Al-Sayed's net. Wasted Chances Zamalek players were guilty of missing several clear-cut chances after falling behind. Defender Karim Zekri blasted astonishingly wide with the goal at his mercy while Arafat's close-range effort was saved by Farouk. The Cairo giants had a golden opportunity to level the score when they were awarded a penalty just before the break after Asyut defender Sherif Hazem clumsily brought down Ashraf inside the area. Zamalek's right-back Mohamed Abdullah stepped-up but Farouk dived the right way to deny the visitors' equalizer. Winger Mahmoud Abdul-Razek ‘Shikabala', who has yet to recapture his form since serving a six-month suspension, headed home few moments into the second half but his goal was ruled out for offside. Refaat introduced young right-back Hazem Emam and veteran striker Abdul-Halim Ali in a bid to up the tempo. Emam showed flashes of talent but Ali's introduction did not make much difference. Asyut sat back to defend their slender lead but their cause was not helped by the dismissal of Vitale, who received a second yellow after obstructing Shikabala. Despite their numerical advantage, the lethargic Zamalek never really troubled Asyut, who heaped more misery on Zamalek in the dying minutes. The referee pointed to the spot after Al-Safti tugged an opponent to earn a second yellow and leave the pitch. Asyut's Sayed sent keeper Al-Sayed the wrong way to make sure his side would bag all three points. Watch the match's goals and the wasted penalty
