Zamalek missed the chance to strengthen its hold on second place after they could only draw 0-0 with bottom-placed Masr in their Egyptian Premier League match on Tuesday at the Cairo Military Academy Stadium in Cairo.
The 12-time league winners, who fielded a weakened side, were second best against their lowly-placed opponents for much of the game as they had significantly less possession and only managed two attempts with just one of them being on target.
That effort, which came late in the game, could have seen Zamalek snatch another narrow and late victory as they did in their previous match but Masr goalkeeper Essam Tharwat kept out Youssef Ibrahim’s header with six minutes to go.
Zamalek remains in second place with 39 points after 20 games, two ahead of Arab Contractors and three ahead of Pyramids F.C. in fourth. Second place in the league guarantees a team qualification for the CAF Champions League.
Zamalek will next face runaway leaders Al Ahly on Saturday at the Cairo International Stadium in one of football’s fiercest rivalries.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Misr Lel Makkasa moved clear of the relegation zone following a 1-0 win against El Gouna at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo.
The other game between Al Ittihad and El Masry was postponed. El Masry’s previous three games had been postponed after a number of its players tested positive for COVID-19.
Earlier on Monday, goals from Geraldo, Walid Soliman and Aliou Badji gave Al Ahly a 3-0 win against Aswan SC while Arab Contractors edged El-Hentag El-Harby 2-1 and Haras El Hodood defeated Tanta 1-0.
Al Ahly has 56 points after 20 games equating to a 17-point lead over rivals Zamalek.
