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Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan’s late strike rescued a point for defending champions Ahly as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a resilient ZED FC side at Cairo International Stadium.

Despite dominating possession, the Red Devils struggled to break down a well-organized ZED defense for much of the game.

Ahly coach Jess Thorup handed starts to winter signings Hady Reyad and Youssef Belammari, while resting several key figures ahead of continental duties.

As expected, the Red Devils started on the offensive, pushing forward in search of an early opener. However, ZED rebuffed their attempts with disciplined defensive lines.

In the 5^th minute, winger Taher Mohammad missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring when he miscontrolled a cross from the right flank with the goal at his mercy.

Against the run of play, ZED broke the deadlock in the 10th minute, following a swift counter-attack, Mustafa Saad received a pinpoint cross from Mahmoud Saber and clinically slotted a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Mohammad El-Shennawi.

Ahly responded by intensifying their pressure but struggled to test former Ahly keeper Ali Lotfi. Marwan Attia attempted a long-range effort in the 13^th minute, which Lotfi gathered comfortably.

Just after the half-hour mark, Taher Mohammad failed to equalize again, seeing his close-range effort blocked by Lotfi after a brilliant cross from the left.

In the second half, Thorup introduced Hussein El-Shahat and Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan to inject some much-needed urgency into the frontline.

The tactical shift nearly backfired in the 60^th minute when ZED thought they had doubled their lead through Maata Magassa, but the goal was disallowed for offside following a VAR review.

The final 20 minutes saw Ahly besiege the ZED penalty area, with Emam Ashour forcing a world-class save from Lotfi with a powerful strike from distance in the 65th minute, as Trezeguet then missed two headers in quick succession as the pressure mounted.

The breakthrough finally came in the 89^th minute. Capitalizing on a rare blunder by Lotfi inside the area, Trezeguet pounced on a loose ball and fired into the empty net to spark wild celebrations.

Ahly almost snatched a dramatic winner in stoppage time, when Trezeguet’s goal-bound header rattled the crossbar, ensuring both sides shared the spoils in a thrilling encounter.

The result sees Ahly remain in third place in the Egyptian Premier League table with 37 points, level with leaders Zamalek and second-placed Pyramids FC, who face off on Sunday. ZED, meanwhile, climbed to seventh with 26 points.

Source: Al-Ahram Online