Zamalek 1 - 1 E.S.S.

CAIRO (GoPharaohs.com) - Zamalek failed to gain all three points from their 2nd match in the African Champions League Quarterfinals as they settled for a 1-1 draw with Tunisian side Etoile Du Sahel in Cairo. Marawan opened the scoring for Etoile in the 89th minute and Kabbani equalized for Zamalek in the 94th minute. With this result Zamalek tops the group with two points from two matches on goal difference.

First Half

Zamalek began the match with a traditional 3-5-2 with Abdelwahed in goal behind three defenders, Kabbani, Abdelhadi and Sideek. Newcomer Adel Fathi made his first appearance on the right side with support from Ibrahim Saeed while Tarek El-Sayed manned the left flank along with Tarek El-Saeed and support from Abu El-Ela. Hazem Emam started up front behind Abdelhalim Ali. The game started at a fast pace with a Tunisian corner punched away by Abdelwahed which lead to a counter attack by Ibrahim Saeed as it was clear he had regained his stamina and speed early on. Zamalek’s left flank lead the attack throughout the first half as the cooperation between the two Tareks and Abu El-Ela continued to cause problems for the Etoile defense. Etoile relied mostly on counter attacks led by the fast paced Mohamed L’Jedid and Traore. Numerous crosses inside the Etoile penalty box where cleared away by the Etoile defense but it was clear that Zamalek’s right flank was disfunctional because of Adel Fathi’s “big game” jitters. The few times Zamalek attacked from the right side where lead by the advancing Kabbani who was given orders by Bucker to support the attack alternating with Ibrahim Saeed. A couple of dangerous balls by L’Jedid missed the target as he stole the ball from Adel Fathi and lobbed on one occassion and out-hustled Kabbani in a second only to be stopped by Abdelwahed El-Sayed. Abu El-Ela continued to terrorize the Etoile defense as he juked a defender and sent a shot just wide of the goal. Tarek El-Sayed escaped behind his defender and sent in a cross that was just missed by Halim’s header in the 25th minute. Zamalek’s first point blank chance came through Abdelhalim who stole the ball but sent it straight to the keeper’s arms instead of crossing to an open Abu El-Ela. In the 32nd minute Zamalek received a huge break when L’Jedid was called for an offside while the replay showed that he was just onside and would have been one on one with the keeper. Zamalek responded with a chance for Kabbani who hesistated and let the defender clear the ball to the corner which was followed by an unbeleivable chance for Abdelhalim who received a brilliant Hazem pass that left him one on one with the keeper but his ball was saved, which resulted in a standoff between the two teams as the half ended.

Second Half

Zamalek continued to pile the pressure in the second half as Ibrahim Saeed’s header was almost tapped in by an oustretched Abdelhalim. The 10th minute of the 2nd half was heartbreaking for Zamalek’s fans as two consecutive corners resulted in a Abdelhadi tap off the left post and a Sideek header that bounced off the cross bar as it was all but evident that today would not be Zamalek’s day. Etoile head coach El-Shazli took off Saber Bin Farag in the 15th minute and brought on Magdi Ben Trawey as the momentum was clearly on Zamalek’s side. Abdelhalim turned two defenders around in the 18th minute and was pulled down but Tarek El-Saeed’s free kick from the edge of the box was wide of the goal. Soon after a frustrated Bucker sent on Gamal Hamza for Hazem Emam in a move that would prove to be a mistake as Hazem left a void in midfield and Hamza was in miserable form. Tarek El-Sayed, Zamalek’s best player on the day along with Abu El-Ela and Kabbani, continued to attack the goal as he setup the ball with his left and fired with his right but the ball was stopped again by Etoile’s excellent keeper. Another dangerous counter for Etoile could have resulted in a goal as L’Jideed whiffed the ball and the resulting cross was headed out by Sideek before Traore could attempt to score. As Zamalek pushed forward, Etoile counters became more dangerous because Adel Fathi and Tarek El-Sayed had given up on their defensive roles. A cross to Traore nearly resulted in a goal but he was offside by centimeters. Etoile’s Mohamed Meeladi received a yellow card in the 73rd minute for an ugly foul on Abu El-Ela and the resulting free kick led to a double kick by Halim inside the six yard box that fell straight to the fortunate keeper’s arms. A goal for Etoile in the 77th minute was canceled because the ball had crossed the goal line before it was crossed to the Tunisian forward. El-Shazly then brough on Silva for an ineffective Traore in the 78th minute for a final push by the Tunisian side, which was responded to by Bucker who brought on Walid Abdullatif for an ineffective Adel Fathi . The ever-dangerous L’Jedid sent a screamer towards goal that was amazingly tipped by Abdelwahed to a corner. A critical moment in the game was Medhat Abdelhadi’s injury in the 86th minute. As Abdelhadi was out of the game and Bakri was warming up, Etoile counter attacked with numbers and the ball was passed to an open Marawan who slotted the ball home from the edge of the eighteen yard box in the 89th minute.

Mohamed Abdelwahed came on for Abdelhadi as all but seemed lost for Zamalek and their fans. Extra time witnessed the usual dramatic acting by North African sides as Seif Ghazali faked an injury, to which the referee promptly stopped his watch and would lead to extra time being extended a few seconds beyond the initial four minutes indicated. A few seconds is all Kabbani needed as in the 95th minute he received a through pass from Ibrahim Saeed on the edge of the penalty area, turned and fired with no hesitation an unbeleivable curling shot towards the opposite post as the ball rebounded into the goal and the stadium exploded with jubilation seconds after the cameras showed Etoile fans celeberating what seemed to be a sure win for the Tunisian side. The referee whistled soon after to the end the game and was surrounded by Etoile players and coaches in an ugly scene as the two North African giants split the points in Cairo.

Conclusion

Zamalek played a decent match until the players stopped playing defense in a desperate push for a goal. Bucker will need to find a solution to this consistent wasting of easy chances in front of the goal that may ultimately lead to Zamalek’s exit from the tournament. Perhaps Zamalek may find a solution in the Nigerian Kingsley, the Portuguese Silva or the Ghanian Junior but help must come soon or Zamalek will find trouble finishing games in their favor. Adel Fathi was a disappointment in his first game but the remainder of the midfielder looks promising for the upcoming games. Another Tunisian encounter awaits Zamalek with their upcoming match against Esperance and without a doubt Bucker will spend sleepless nights to salvage the team’s journey through the African competition.