Zamalek and Al-Masry of Port Said played out a 0-0 draw in their fourth-round African Confederation Cup clash at Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria on Sunday.
The match was a tightly contested affair, with neither side able to break the deadlock despite a series of chances in both halves.
The opening stages of the match saw Zamalek pressurize their opponents, looking to seize an early advantage.
In the 9th minute, Ahmed Sayed Zizo whipped in a cross towards Hossam Ashraf, but Al-Masry’s Fakhreddine Ben Youssef intervened to clear the ball.
Moments later, Zamalek’s Omar Gaber tried his luck with a shot, but Al-Masry goalkeeper Mahmoud Gad was equal to the task, parrying the attempt to safety.
As the first half wore on, the game settled into a more cautious rhythm, with both teams concentrating their efforts in the midfield.
Zamalek controlled possession, but despite their dominance, they struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities.
Al-Masry, too, remained largely confined to their half, offering little in attack.
A yellow card was issued to Zamalek’s Hossam Abdel-Majid in the 30th minute for a foul on Tunisian forward Fakhreddine Ben Youssef as he broke toward Mohamed Awad’s goal.
However, no further breakthroughs were made, and the first half ended with the scoreline still at 0-0.
The second half saw more attacking intent from both sides, but they were still unable to find the back of the net.
In the 49th minute, Al-Masry’s Khaled El-Ghandour fired a powerful shot from distance, but it sailed wide of Zamalek goalkeeper Mohamed Awad’s goal.
The closest anyone came to scoring was Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, who missed an opportunity after receiving a pass from Salah Mohsen, with his shot going wide of Awad’s goal.
Zamalek’s coach, Christian Gross, made his first substitution in the 60th minute, introducing Polish winger Konrad Michalak for Mostafa Shalaby in an attempt to shake things up.
Zamalek continued to dominate possession, but their efforts were thwarted by Al-Masry’s defensive solidity.
In the 74th minute, Al-Masry goalkeeper Mahmoud Gad was forced to leave the field after a strong challenge by Zamalek’s Nabil Emad Dunga, though he was able to return shortly after receiving treatment.
The best chance of the second half came in the 80th minute when Al-Masry defender Khaled Sobhi made a crucial clearance off the line to deny Zamalek’s Abdullah Al-Saeed, keeping the score level.
In the end, neither team was able to break the deadlock, and the match ended in a goalless draw.
The result sees Zamalek remain at the top of Group D with 8 points, while Al-Masry sits second with 5 points.
Both teams will now look to build on this result in their remaining group-stage matches as they aim to secure progression to the knockout stages of the competition.
