Zamalek were able to overcome Wadi Degla due to the White's flexibility to play with different formations, according to the Cairo club's assistant coach Ismail Youssef. After being one goal behind, Zamalek overwhelmed Degla 4-1 in their last-16 cup tie, thanks to goals from Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan and striker Ahmed Gaafar who bagged a brace each on Tuesday night. Hassan Shehata, who made his debut on the Zamalek bench, switched formation from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 when his team seemed to be lacking firepower. “Coach Shehata was keen to make the players used to different formations during pre-season,” Youssef said in the post-match news conference. “We were one goal down in the first half because we lost control on midfield allowing our opponents to tighten their grip on that area. “But we were able to make up for that with the introduction of midfielder Ibrahim Salah, a substitution that helped us dictate play and create goal-scoring opportunities for attackers.” Zamalek started the game with two holding midfielders in Ahmed Hassan and Ahmed Al-Merghani, but Shehata then made some changes in his side's formation introducing Salah for frontman Hussein Hamdi. The 11-time-Egyptian champions will meet the winner of Wednesday's game between Gouna and Asyut Petroleum.
