Zamalek open African Handball Championship campaign with seven-goal win

Zamalek began their African Handball Championship campaign with a 33-26 victory over Angola’s Primeiro de Agosto.

The Egyptian side established control in the first half, taking a 16-10 lead into the interval, and maintained their advantage after the restart to secure their opening win.

Angola is hosting the tournament finals from 4 to 14 October.

The competition was hit by an organisational setback just hours before it began, when two teams withdrew. The withdrawals forced the organisers of the African Handball Clubs Championship to conduct the draw again.

Zamalek have been placed in Group B alongside Congo’s JSK, Ethiopia’s Michel, Primeiro de Agosto of Angola and Ethiopia’s Mekelle 70.

The top two teams in the group will qualify directly for the semi-finals, where they will compete for the title.

Zamalek’s remaining group matches

Zamalek will face Ethiopia’s Mekelle 70 at 16:00 on 8 October.

Their second group fixture is against Congo’s JSK at 18:00 on 10 October, before they complete the group stage against Ethiopia’s Michel at 14:00 on 11 October.

Al Ahly are the reigning champions and have won the tournament in each of the past three editions. They have eight titles to their name.

Zamalek remain the competition’s most successful club, with 12 titles. Their most recent triumph came in 2019.