Zamalek fans breathed a sigh of relief after seeing their side produce a ruthless attacking display against ENPPI in the Egyptian Premier League opener. Some high-profile signings gave the success-starved supporters hope that their team can finally dethrone arch-rivals Ahli and win the prestigious competition for the first time since 2004. Zamalek's start was very promising, to say the least. Inspirational playmaker Shikabala put in a superb performance, scoring a goal and dishing out an assist as the Cairo giants claimed a deserved 3-1 victory over ENPPI. "The best is yet to come," Zamalek coach Michel Decastel told the post-match press conference. "Some players arrived late in the pre-season training camp and some were injured so I expect things to only get better in the coming days." Midfielder Hassan Mostafa, left-back Mohamed Abdul-Shafi and striker Ahmed Gaafar - all new arrivals - were included in the starting line-up and made a decent impact. "The new players played very well. They showed that they were good enough to join Zamalek," the club's chairman and wealthy businessman Mamdouh Abbas, who funded the close-season deals, commented. Zamalek could be further boosted when Mido, who joined his boyhood club from Middlesbrough on a season-long loan, make his anticipated debut. The towering striker, who is not 100%, sat on the bench against ENPPI to cheer up his new teammates. When central defender Mahmoud Fathallah scored the opener, he and several other Zamalek players rushed to the dugout to celebrate their first goal of the season with Mido. Formation Fever
Ismaili held Zamalek's arch-rivals and title holders Ahli also made a convincing start to the season, having secured an easy 2-0 home win over Ghazl Mahalla. This time the Red Devils passed a competitive test while playing with a 4-4-2 formation after losing to Harras Hodoud in the Egyptian Super Cup – the season curtain raiser. "We will continue to play with a 4-4-2 formation. We've successfully implemented it today," Ahli assistant coach Mohamed Youssef said following the match. "The players are getting used to this new strategy so we should not change it." Ahli were not the only side to begin the season with such a formation. A sudden fever erupted in Egyptian football, with Ismaili and Arab Contractors also employing the system that was first used by Harras Hodoud. Contractors could only manage a 1-1 draw against Police Union while last season's runners-up Ismaili were held to a surprise 2-2 draw by newcomers Mansoura. Ismaili's stumble wasn't the biggest upset though as newly-promoted side Military Production stunned Masri with a 2-0 victory. Masri chairman Ali Faragallah resigned from his post immediately after the final whistle. "The players conspired against me," he told FilGoal.com after the game. "It is almost impossible to lose against a newly-promoted side that way. Masri players deliberately lost tonight." Petrojet, who usually excel in the first half of the season before beginning to falter at the halfway stage, will be hoping to be more consistent this term after kicking off their campaign with a 3-1 win over Ittihad. Striker Al-Sayed Hamdi notched a brace and was rewarded shortly after as coach Hassan Shehata named him in Egypt's squad for Wednesday's friendly game against Guinea.
