Al Masry’s Egypt Cup journey came to a painful early end after a dramatic penalty shootout defeat against Zed FC in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
The Port Said side drew 0-0 over 120 tense minutes before losing 5-4 on penalties in a match that saw late drama and a decisive role for a new Moroccan arrival.
The game remained goalless in regular time, with both teams struggling to convert their chances in a physically demanding encounter. Al Masry’s task became even harder deep into stoppage time when Algerian player Mondher Tamine was sent off in the 90+7th minute, leaving his team to battle on with ten men.
Extra time failed to separate the sides, sending the tie to a penalty shootout where the spotlight fell on winter signing Osama Al Zemrawi, who recently joined Al Masry from Moroccan giants Wydad. Al Zemrawi stepped up to take Al Masry’s final kick but missed, turning what could have been a heroic moment into a cruel twist in his early days at the club.
For Al Masry, Bonheur Mugisha, Karim Bambo, Omar El Saai and Hassan Ali all converted their penalties, while Al Zemrawi was the only one to fail from the spot. Zed, meanwhile, were flawless, with Mahmoud Saber, Abdallah Bakri, Ahmed Soghayer, Ali Gamal and Mostafa Saad all scoring to send their team through.
Zed, coached by Mohamed Shawky, now advance to the quarter-finals to face Haras El Hodood. The last eight will also feature Talaea El Gaish against the winner of Zamalek versus Ceramica Cleopatra, ENPPI against Telecom Egypt, and Petrojet against Pyramids, promising a competitive closing stretch to the cup.
