Zamalek played their best Cairo derby in some time as they managed to frustrate Ahli with a goalless draw at the Military Academy Stadium on Thursday. The White Knights produced a solid performance inspired by the enthusiasm of some new faces, who played against the mighty Ahli for the first time. On the other hand, the draw was disappointing for title-contenders Ahli, considering their unstable league status. FilGoal.com gives an assessment of the overall performance of every player in the 103rd Cairo derby. Zamalek Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed (7): The skipper was not seriously tested throughout the game, but made a number of routine saves to keep the clean sheet. Mahmoud Fathallah (7): The Zamalek defense looked intact with the presence of Fathallah as a sweeper; a consistent performance from the Egypt stopper demonstrated the White Knights' rearguard improvement of late. Ahmed Magdi (7): Magdi enjoyed a fine night at the heart of Zamalek's defense. He made a crucial block to deny Flavio's first-half header. Amr Adel (7): The inexperienced center-half somehow contained Flavio's aerial danger with his competent marking. Probably his best game since joining Zamalek last season. Hazem Emam (8.5): An exciting future star is on the making; the 20-year-old had an outstanding night on the right flank thanks to his blistering pace. Even though he ran out of gas midway through the second half, Emam was arguably Zamalek's man of the match. Watch Emam's best moments in the game Sabri Rahil (7.5): The in-form full-back showed no nerves in his first Cairo derby. He was a little-bit restrained in forward runs, but was one of Zamalek's best performers throughout the 90 minutes. Hani Saied (6): Once again he didn't look so commanding in midfield, like he does as a sweeper. Saied applied a poor finish to a first-half chance which proved to be Zamalek's closest effort to Ramzi Saleh's goal. Ahmed Al-Merghani (7): His positioning was excellent at the center of midfield, the 20-year-old made some key tackles to overcome Hassan and Abou-Treika. Ahmed Abdul-Raouf (6.5): His work rate was good until he was substituted in the second half. He linked up well with Saied and Merghani to form a resilient midfield line.
Treika was out of form Abdul-Halim Ali (6.5): The veteran forward hardly had a shot on target as he settled for an attacking-midfielder role behind Ashraf. Nonetheless, Ali's overall performance was fine. Sherif Ashraf (6): The former Ahli youngster was slightly alerting to the Red Devils' backline at times, but his finishing touch was unremarkable. Mohamed Abdullah (5.5): He didn't manage to fill in Emam's void after replacing him in the second half. Ahli Ramzi Saleh (7): He was equal to a number of close-range efforts; a gritty derby debut for the Palestinian guardian. Mohamed Samir (7): Had a shaky moment when he was dispossessed by Ashraf in the second half. However, the youngster deputized well for injured captain Shadi Mohamed at the heart of defense. Wael Gomaa (6.5): The Egypt center-half had little to do with marking as Zamalek's Ali was rarely present in the area during the game. Ahmed Al-Sayed (6.5): Like his defense partner, Al-Sayed had a relatively easy night against Zamalek's inconsistent threat. Ahmed Fathi (7): The tireless midfielder was Ahli's top player in the first half with his tenacious tackling. Fathi made a brilliant clearance to deny Ashraf's point-blank chance. His second-half injury was a blow for Ahli. Gilberto (5.5): The Angolan full-back failed to deliver any of those deadly crosses of his, he also struggled to handle the pacey Emam defensively. His mediocre performance forced Manuel Jose to bring in Moawad. Hossam Ashour (6.5): The defensive midfielder was not too busy amid Zamalek's defensively-operating midfield. Moataz Eno (6): Was desperate for any chance to fire a long-range shot, but Zamalek's solid midfield repeatedly denied him. His passing was accurate, but the ex-Zamalek man had better games this season. Ahmed Hassan (6.5): A relatively fine game for Hassan upon his return from injury. The Egypt captain exerted notable effort in midfield, but his passing was inaccurate at times. Mohamed Abou-Treika (5.5): Played with his back to goal for most of the game. The Egypt wizard looked a shadow of the player who hit eight goals past Zamalek during the last four seasons. Flavio Amado (6): Ahli's lone striker had a quiet night upfront as he received little support in terms of crosses from both flanks. The Angolan missed Gilberto's trade-mark crossing as well as Mohamed Barakat's flair. As usual, Flavio was a mere spectator outside the box. Ahmed Sedik (6): After coming on as a second-half sub, Sedik was assigned with a more offensive role, but he hardly produced anything noteworthy. Sayed Moawad (7): Moawad refreshed Ahli's left side after replacing Gilberto. The Egypt full-back whipped in a couple of inviting crosses, even though couldn't reach for Flavio's head.
