Zamalek coach Hossam Hassan did not spurn the opportunity to respond to some offensive chants from the fans of Ahli, the club he made his name with during his glorious playing career. Hassan was on the verge of leading Zamalek to their first Cairo derby win since May 2007 but mercurial midfielder Mohamed Barakat struck in stoppage time to give Ahli a thrilling 3-3 draw on Friday. The White Knights surrendered their lead three times and their players looked shell-shocked after the final whistle. Hassan, who worked his magic to lift Zamalek from the bottom three to second place following his appointment, was applauded by his side's fans at the end despite Barakat's late stunner. This was not the case at the other section of the crowd, naturally. Ahli supporters hurled insults against a man they used to cheer for during the 1990s when his goals helped the team win numerous domestic and continental titles before he incurred their wrath by moving to arch-rivals Zamalek in 2000. After Friday's draw, Hassan took off the white shirt he was wearing, waved it in front of Zamalek fans before running the length of the pitch to repeat the same actions against opposing spectators. Hassan skipped the post-match news conference for no apparent reason. "We are coming, we are coming. We will defeat anyone," he shouted while on his way to the dressing room after the game. Hassan's assistant Tarek Soliman attended the news conference but said he was ordered to remain silent, infuriating reporters. "I respect you but I'm not allowed to talk. Hassan just wants to tell you that many people put obstacles against Zamalek," he said. "He will hold a news conference within the next two days to discuss everything," he added before storming out of the conference room. Ahli need to get one point from their remaining four league games to wrap up a sixth consecutive title while Zamalek, who are nine points adrift of the Red Devils, will be looking to finish second to play in next season's African Champions League. Zamalek are likely to face Ahli again in the Egyptian Cup second round, with both sides opening their campaign against lower division sides.
