Pyramids booked their place in the Egypt Cup round of 16 with a professional 2–0 win over third-division side FC Masar at Petro Sport Stadium in Cairo on Sunday evening.
The Premier League side needed second-half goals to settle the tie, reflecting their control despite a much-changed lineup.
Mustafa Abdelraouf Zico broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute, before Abdelrahman Magdy sealed the victory with a late strike in the 88th minute.
Pyramids entered the game missing several key players who are away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, but still managed to avoid any upset.
Under Croatian coach Krunoslav Jurcic, the team advanced to face Gouna in the next round, continuing a strong relationship with the competition after reaching the last two finals, winning the title the season before last and finishing runners-up to Zamalek last season.
Earlier at the New Suez Stadium, Masry also progressed after an entertaining 4–2 victory over third-division side Dekernes in the same stage of the tournament. Karim Bambo opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 18th minute, but Mostafa Safwat quickly equalized for Dekernes five minutes later.
Algerian winger Mondher T’min restored Masry’s lead in the 37th minute, and Omar Al Saei added a third from another penalty in first-half stoppage time. Mohamed Morsi pulled one back for Dekernes on 61 minutes, yet Bambo’s second goal of the night, again from the spot in the 68th minute, killed off hopes of a comeback and sent Masry through to meet the winner of Zed vs GSport in the last 16.
