The absence of competent strikers was a main reason why the capital derby between Ahli and Zamalek ended in a tame goalless draw. Both teams carved out very few scoring chances throughout the clash, which was expected to be much more pulsating. Zamalek played the entire first half without a natural marksman before Ahmed Gaafar was introduced on the stroke of halftime instead of winger Hazem Emam. Gaafar lacked the necessary speed and cutting-edge to break the deadlock while Abou Kone, the second hitman in the Whites' squad, was inexplicably kept on the bench. "We tried to plot a certain strategy that I can't reveal," Zamalek's football director Ibrahim Hassan told Modern TV when asked about the formation and substitutions. Moreover, Zamalek's pacey wizard Shikabala was unable to work his magic, failing to make the most of his goal-scoring form to compensate for the deficiency upfront. The 24-year-old put in a string of scintillating performances during the previous league matches, netting several sensational goals. However, he couldn't raise eyebrows amid Ahli's dominance in midfield. "He's a great player but couldn't make the difference in the match," prominent pundit Hassan Al-Mestekawi said after the league encounter. Zamalek missed another energetic forward in Hussein Yasser, who was ruled out of the match as he joined up with the Qatar squad for the Asian Cup. The five-time African champions tried to persuade the Qatar Football Association (QFA) into allowing him to feature against Ahli, albeit to no avail. "The Qatari association's decision negatively affected our performance for sure," head coach Hossam stated.
Zizo (L) Ahli Toothless Too Ahli were by far toothless too in Thursday's game. Caretaker coach Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Shafi 'Zizo' had limited frontline options, with Mohamed Fadl and Francis Doe still nursing respective injuries. Mohamed Talaat and Osama Hosni were the only fit strikers at his disposal. Twenty-one-year-old Talaat was fielded as the Red Devils' lone striker and couldn't deliver the goods till he made way for winger Afrotto on 77 minutes. "We squandered many opportunities … we clearly needed the services of Fadl in the second half," Ahli's assistant coach Mohamed Youssef commented. Mercurial midfielder Mohamed Barakat was the most threatening from the defending champions. He combined well with wide man Sayed Moawad from the left flank on a number of occasions. But the duo were repeatedly thwarted by Zamalek right-back Ahmed Ghanem, who produced one of his finest displays in the game. Barakat also achieved some penetrations that greatly disturbed the opposition rearguard, without applying the finishing touch though. The ageing star failed to inject more zeal in the second period after running out of gas. He was replaced with Geddo 18 minutes from time. Veteran schemer Mohamed Abou-Treika couldn't fulfill his attacking duties, leaving the out-of-sorts Talaat unsupported.
