Zamalek continue Caf Champions League winless run after Sagrada Esperança draw
Egyptian powerhouse Zamalek are yet to claim their first win in the CAF Champions League group-stage after a 0-0 draw with Angolan side Sagrada Esperança.
The Whites had opened their campaign with a last-minute draw at home against Petro Atlético de Luanda, leaving them looking for nothing but the win against Sagrada.
Meanwhile, appearing for the first time in the Champions League group-stages Sagrada were looking to win their first-ever point having suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Wydad Casablanca away from home.
Entering the game without their star man Ahmed Sayed Zizo, Zamalek looked like the dominant side early in the game, but couldn’t create any clear-cut chances until just a few seconds before the half-time whistle.
Sagrada’s defence cleared Shikabala’s free-kick but as far as Ahmed Fetouh who played the ball to Seifeddine Jaziri, whose effort was cleared off the line for the first-half to end in a 0-0 draw.
The Egyptians were much better in the second half especially as Carteron brought on Achraf Bencharki for Razack Cisse in order to find the winning goal.
Just less than 30 seconds into the second-half, Emam Ashour forced goalkeeper Leonardo Mutunda into an impressive save as the resulting corner saw Bencharki being denied from close range by the keeper before the follow-up from Mohamed Abdelghani going wide.
Leonardo Mutunda kept his impressive showings as he stopped two efforts from Shikabala and Hamza Mathlouthi.
While the game was going in the direction of a Zamalek goal, the hosts almost snatched the opening goal after three successive chances in a row, but all of them were parried away brilliantly by Mohamed Abou-Gabal.
In the 82nd minute, Sagarda’s forward found himself through on goal after a howler from Mahmoud Alaa, but Abou-Gabal was there once again to keep Zamalek in the game.
And with just a few seconds left on the clock, Mohamed Ounajem slipped through the defences and put the ball for Omar El-Said, whose first-time effort came of the post for the game to end in a 0-0 draw.
The draw means that Zamalek have managed to win just once in their last eight games as the pressure keeps piling up on head coach Patrice Carteron.
Petro de Luanda now lead the group with four points one point ahead of second-placed Wydad Casablanca, who they had beat earlier in Angola.
Meanwhile, Zamalek sit third with two points, while Sagrada Esperança languish at the bottom with just one point.
Zamalek will next have a tough task on their hand as they travel to Morocco to face Wydad Casablanca on Saturday, February 26, while Sagrada host Petro de Luanda in an all-Angolan derby.
