Hossam Hassan failed to enjoy a winning debut as Zamalek coach after his side suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Harras Hodoud on Thursday to extend their losing streak to three games. The Egypt's all-time leading scorer took over at the ailing Cairo giants following the sacking of Frenchman Henri Michel amid huge expectations from the team's fans. However, Hodoud marred his first match in charge when two second-half goals from Ahmed Eid and Abdul-Salam Nagah sank Zamalek at Cairo Stadium. The hosts grabbed a consolation in stoppage time after Ahmed Magdi converted a penalty. Zamalek, who face the unthinkable prospect of being relegated to the second division, lie 12th in the 16-team table with 11 points, just one above the danger zone. They next face arch-rivals and leaders Ahli in the Cairo derby on Tuesday. Hodoud, who ended a disappointing run that saw them slump to two consecutive defeats, are seventh on 15 points. Zamalek produced a decent display in the first half, relying on the energetic moves of Hazem Emam and Magdi down the flanks.
Zamalek outplayed by Hodoud However, they couldn't make use of their possession because lone striker Sherif Ashraf was isolated upfront. Regular strike duo Amr Zaki and Mido missed the game due to injury and suspension respectively. Playmaker Shikabala wasted Zamalek's only goalscoring opportunity before the break when he latched onto a poor back pass from a Hodoud defender to break clear but his powerful drive was denied by the bar. Defensive Mistakes Recurring defensive mistakes cost Zamalek in the second half though, with Hodoud taking the lead one minute after the restart. Ahmed Mekki ran down the left flank unopposed before whipping in a cross to the unmarked Eid at the back post to fire into the roof of the net past Zamalek's hapless keeper Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed. Zamalek pushed forward to equalize to leave huge gaps at the back and allow Hodoud to further widen their misery. In the 79th minute, Ahmed Abdul-Ghani's pull-back found Nagah on the edge of the area and the Zamalek-target, whose contract with Hodoud will expire at the end of the season, sidestepped Ibrahim Salah before curling a right-footed shot into the top corner. Zamalek netted a largely meaningless goal just before the final whistle, Magdi sending the keeper the wrong way from the spot after Shikabala was brought down by Hodoud skipper Mohamed Halim.
