Zamalek earned a hard-fought 2-0 win over Petrojet at Cairo Stadium in the 16th round of the Egyptian Premier League, in a night that belonged to Palestinian forward Oday Debbagh.
The victory lifted Zamalek to 25 points in fourth place, seven points behind leaders Ceramica Cleopatra, while Petrojet stayed on 19 points in tenth.
Petrojet started aggressively, threatening through early runs from Tawfiq Mohamed and midfield efforts from Dodo and Badr Mousa, before Zamalek gradually settled. A forced early change saw Mohamed El Shahat go off injured, replaced by Mohamed El Sayed in the 20th minute. Moments later, Debbagh broke the deadlock in the 21st minute when he raced clear and coolly slotted past the Petrojet goalkeeper.
Zamalek then took control of midfield and turned pressure into a second goal. Debbagh was fouled in the area after a smart through ball from Adam Kayid, earning a penalty in the 37th minute.
Hossam Abdelmaguid converted from the spot in the 39th minute to double the lead.
In the second half, Petrojet introduced fresh legs, including Sibandi and Ahmed Ghoneim, and pushed hard to get back into the game. Zamalek responded with several substitutions of their own, bringing on Chico Banza, Juan Bezerra, Nabil Emad Dunga, and later Tunisian striker Seifeddine Jaziri.
Bezerra missed a clear one-on-one chance, while Petrojet squandered a dangerous late cross, leaving Zamalek to celebrate a composed and important home win.
