CAIRO — Zamalek secured a valuable triumph over Smouha, while Modern Sport and Petrojet battled to an exciting draw. Meanwhile, Pyramids FC earned a crucial win against Enppi in the second round of the 2024-2025 Egyptian Premier League.
At Borg el-Arab Stadium in Alexandria, Zamalek claimed a vital 2-0 victory over Smouha, boosting their points tally to 6 and moving up to 2nd place, level with Al-Ahly, who led on goal difference. Smouha, meanwhile, remained in 6th place with 3 points.
Zamalek’s Portuguese coach, Jose Gomez, shared his thoughts on his team’s performance during the post-match press conference, highlighting both the strengths and shortcomings of the game.
“We weren’t at our best, but we managed to secure the three points. There’s still plenty of room for improvement,” he said.
Gomez elaborated, saying, “We gave Smouha too much possession and control during the match. Our defense wasn’t strong enough to win the ball back effectively.”
“Even when we don’t perform well, the most important thing is to get the three points. Our first goal came from collective pressure right in the opening minute.”
Zamalek ex-player Hazem Emam also echoed Gomez’s sentiment, saying, “It’s an important win. The key thing is securing the three points.”
“Despite the mistakes made by the Whites during the game, it’s still a very important victory,” Emam added in his remarks to ‘On Time Sports’.
Smouha coach Ahmed Sami, on the other hand, congratulated Zamalek on their victory. Speaking in the same broadcast, he added, “I also want to commend my players, despite missing several clear chances. We had four excellent opportunities that we couldn’t capitalize on.”
Both teams pressed forward in search of an early goal. Zamalek’s striker Nasr Mansi took advantage of a mistake by Smouha goalkeeper El-Hany Soliman in the second minute, intercepting the ball and slotting it into the right corner to give the white team an early lead.
Zamalek doubled their lead in the 85th minute, as winger Moustafa Shalaby expertly finished off a brilliant header pass from Tunisian center-back Hamza Mathlouthi, sending the ball into the net.
Smouha pushed hard for an equalizer, but Zamalek goalkeeper Mohamed Awad made several crucial saves to preserve the lead. In the fifth minute, he denied Nigerian right-winger Samuel Amadi’s close-range shot, and in the ninth minute, he blocked a clear chance from striker Hossam Hassan.
As Zamalek sat back defensively, Smouha grew more aggressive, creating several scoring opportunities. The first half ended with Zamalek leading 1-0.
In the 90th minute, playmaker Abdullah Al-Saeed nearly sealed the win with a free kick that just sailed over the crossbar. Despite Smouha’s late efforts, Zamalek held firm to secure a 2-0 victory.
At Military Academy Stadium, Petrojet and Modern Sport played out a thrilling 1-1 draw.
With this result, Modern Sport raised their points to two, sitting in 8th place in the league table, while Petrojet is in 9th place, also with two points.
Central midfielder Ali Zazaa opened the scoring for Modern Sport in the 48th minute, but left winger Badr Moussa equalized for Petrojet from the penalty spot in the 57th minute.
The game started with a shot from Petrojet’s attacking midfielder Rashad el-Metwaly, taken from outside the penalty area. The shot hit a Modern Sport defender and was easily collected by goalkeeper Mahmoud Genesh.
Modern Sport then earned a corner kick on the right side, taken by Cameroonian left-back Joseph Ngwem, but it was cleared by Petrojet’s defense. Petrojet’s left-winger Mohamed Dodo followed with a shot from inside the penalty area that went just past the left post.
Modern’s striker Ahmed Atef sent a ground cross from the right side, which was cleared by Petrojet’s defense for another corner kick.
In the 26th minute, the referee issued a yellow card to Modern Sport’s midfielder Abdel Rahman Shika for a very aggressive tackle in midfield.
In the 32nd minute, a shot from Petrojet’s left-winger Dodo, taken from the edge of the penalty area, deflected off a Modern defender and was heading toward the goal. However, goalkeeper Genesh cleared it from the bottom right corner.
A corner kick for Modern Sport was taken by Ngwem from the right side with a cross into the penalty area, met by striker Atef, who delivered another cross from the left side. But once again, Petrojet’s defense cleared the danger.
In the dying minutes, Modern Sport earned another corner kick from the left side, taken by right-back Mahmoud Shaaban. However, Petrojet’s defense cleared the ball once again, ending the match in a 1-1 draw.
At Petrosport Stadium in Cairo, Pyramids FC achieved an exciting 2-1 victory over Enppi.
Midfielder Ahmed Atef opened the scoring for Pyramids in the third minute, heading in a cross from right-winger Mostafa Fathi into the right corner of the net.
Atef doubled Pyramids’ lead in the 34th minute, converting a low cross from Congolese striker Fiston Mayele with a shot from the edge of the penalty area that found the net.
Enppi pulled one back in the 44th minute, with right midfielder Ali Fawzi scoring from the penalty spot after Pyramids’ center-back Mahmoud Marei was penalized for a handball.
With this victory, Pyramids climbed to fourth place in the standings with 4 points, while Enppi remained in 13th place with just 1 point.
The match was dominated by Pyramids in the first half, where they took control and secured the lead. In the second-half, Enppi pushed for an equalizer but was unable to find the back of the net.
