End of the first half: Zamalek leads Al Ahly 1-0
Zamalek leads Al Ahly 1-0 in the first half after a penalty goal by Hassam Abdel Meguid.
The Spanish referee César Soto Grado concluded the first half of the match between Al Ahly and Zamalek in the ninth round of the Egyptian Premier League with Zamalek leading 1-0, in an exciting game that saw continuous pressure from both teams from the opening whistle.
Zamalek began the match with early attacking pressure, and in the fourth minute, the team nearly opened the scoring through a swift counterattack initiated by Juan Pereira, who passed the ball to Adi El-Dabbagh. He found himself one-on-one with the goal and fired a powerful shot, which Al Ahly’s goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy brilliantly saved, before Yassin Marei attempted to clear the ball, which returned to El-Shenawy, who secured it safely.
In the tenth minute, Nasser Maher received an excellent pass from Adam Kaid behind Al Ahly’s defenders, found himself alone with the goal, but his shot went just wide of the left post, keeping the score level while Zamalek continued to apply pressure.
By the twelfth minute, Al Ahly began to respond, with Mohamed Hany sending a precise cross that nearly caught Hassam Abdel Meguid off guard, but Zamalek’s defense managed to clear it for a corner. Achraf Bencharki took the corner, reaching Yasser Ibrahim, who attempted a header that went just past the right post without threatening Zamalek’s goal.
In the 26th minute, the referee awarded Zamalek a penalty after a challenge by Yassin Marei on Adi El-Dabbagh inside the box. Abdullah Al-Saeed attempted the first penalty, but El-Shenawy made a skillful save. The referee then ordered the penalty to be retaken due to Al Ahly players entering the box before execution. In the 32nd minute, Hassam Abdel Meguid took the second attempt and scored, giving Zamalek the lead.
Before the end of the first half, in the 45th minute, the referee awarded a penalty to Al Ahly after a handball on Mahmoud Bentayek of Zamalek, but after consulting VAR, the decision was overturned as the ball had struck the player’s stomach, not his hand.
The referee added 10 minutes of stoppage time due to repeated interruptions, and no further goals were scored. The first half ended with Zamalek leading Al Ahly 1-0.
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