Zamalek dropped more points in the Egyptian Premier League as they failed to beat strugglers Telecom Egypt, who claimed a 1-1 draw with ten men at the Military Stadium on Monday. A second-half penalty from Ahmed Magdi was cancelled out by Telecom's Ahmed Gaafar, who scored his tenth goal of the season to top the league's scoring charts. Zamalek remain ninth with 23 points, while Telecom have 19 points in 14th place. A boring first half suggested that another disappointing display was looming for the White Knights, despite being in control of possession. Zamalek had to take off midfielder Ahmed Abdul-Raouf early on due to injury. New signing Ibrahim Salah was introduced as a result, making his debut for Michel Decastel's side. Pulsating second half Action started just three minutes after the break when Zamalek were awarded a controversial penalty, following Mohamed Younes' alleged contact with Gamal Hamza, who made the most of the challenge. Defender Magdi made no mistake from the spot, sending Wissam Ismail the wrong way. Ten minutes later, Ismail denied Hamza's low shot, in what proved to be a crucial save for Telecom.
Shikabala One minute past the hour mark, the visitors snatched the equalizer via Gaafar, who capitalized on some slack defending by the Zamalek backline. The promising forward followed Amr Al-Safti's poorly-cleared header, outmuscled Hani Saied, before beating Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed with a cool lob from 12 yards. Telecom were dealt a blow seven minutes later when defender Amr Anwar received his second caution for a late tackle on Shikabala. The one-man advantage urged Zamalek to push forward in search for a vital win, as substitute Mohamed Al-Morsi saw his effort hit the side-netting. Shortly after, Shikabala appeared to be involved in another dispute with Zamalek fans, before asking to be substituted. The talented playmaker rushed into the dressing room in disarray as Junior Agogo came in. Agogo, who returned after missing the last two games, couldn't create much danger on the ten-man Telecom, who held on well to their draw. Earlier on Monday, Arab Contractors drew 1-1 with Masri in Cairo. Watch the goals
