Port hosted Zamalek at the 1st Preliminary Round of the CAF Champions League on Thursday and lost 1:2. The visitors took control early and held their nerve until the final whistle. To be fair, the home side pushed back but could not find the level Zamalek arrived with.
M. Shehata opened the scoring inside the first five minutes and set the tone for what followed. He moved into space and finished cleanly before Port could organise their defence. And here's the thing about early goals — they change how a game is played from the start.
C. Banza dragged Port level in the 37th minute, a moment that briefly shifted the momentum.
The decisive strike came in the 82nd minute and stretched the back line once more. A quick transition caught Port asleep and the lead was restored before the final third of the match could be called a draw. By then, the visitors had already made their case.
The match statistics told a story of dominance on paper. Zamalek controlled 0.67 of possession while launching 102 attacks against Port's 93. The hosts managed just two corners to seven and picked up a single yellow card. They shot more but the visitors took their chances.
Zamalek extended their recent run of positive results with this away victory. They had beaten Petrojet 2:1 and National Bank of Egypt 3:0 before the goalless draw with Al-Ittihad. The win keeps them on track in the preliminary stage.
