Zamalek edge past El Mokawloon El Arab as Sami Qomsan rues missed chances

Zamalek secured a 2-1 victory over El Mokawloon El Arab in the eighth round of the league, with Sami Qomsan saying missed opportunities and small details decided the match.

El Mokawloon El Arab head coach Qomsan believed his side had posed the greater threat for long periods but failed to take advantage of their chances.

“Small details decide big matches,” Qomsan said during his post-match press conference. “Unfortunately, we missed a number of opportunities that could have secured the victory for us.”

Qomsan also said his team had successfully limited Zamalek’s main attacking options and argued that the league leaders had created few clear opportunities.

“We managed to close down Zamalek’s key players, and I believe they would not have had many chances apart from the one mistake that led to the second goal,” he added.

The result was settled by a late strike from Chico Banza, after both sides had scored earlier in the second half.

Mohamed Hamdy opened the scoring shortly after the interval for Zamalek. El Mokawoon El Arab levelled when Mohamed Abdel Nasser’s shot struck Omar Gaber before finding the net.

Banza then scored the winning goal in the 88th minute to give Zamalek all three points.

The victory ended Zamalek’s difficult run against El Mokawoon El Arab in the league, securing their first win after the two sides had failed to win in their previous five league matches against one another.

Zamalek moved up to 19 points and currently occupy second place in the table. El Mokawoon El Arab remain on 11 points in seventh.

Qomsan said the experience would provide useful lessons as his team work to improve in their upcoming fixtures.

“We want to benefit from the Zamalek match by correcting our mistakes and producing better performances in the coming period,” he said.

He added that his preparations had been thorough and that the starting line-up had helped El Mokawoon El Arab gain an advantage during the game.

“We studied Zamalek well, and I believe the line-up we started with gave us an advantage,” Qomsan said. “In the end, I am satisfied with the team’s performance.”

Zamalek’s next league match will be against El Gouna on 23 November.