Al Ahly continued their dominance over rivals Zamalek, securing a 2-0 victory in the 133rd Cairo Derby on Sunday evening at the Cairo International Stadium in matchday six of the Egyptian Premier League.
The victory handed Hussein Ammouta’s side three valuable points in the title race while underlining Al Ahly’s recent upper hand in derby encounters, as Zamalek once again failed to find the back of the net or secure a positive result.
Al Ahly approached the match with composure and tactical discipline, holding 52% possession in the first half compared to Zamalek’s 48%. They registered six shots to the hosts’ three, with Zamalek failing to test goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir with a single shot on target during the opening period.
Mohamed Hany translated Al Ahly’s superiority into a goal in the 39th minute. Receiving a pass from Achraf Bencharki, he unleashed a powerful strike from outside the penalty area that goalkeeper El Mahdy Soliman failed to keep out, sending the Red Devils into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Zamalek attempted to fight back after the interval through possession and pressing, but lacked edge in the final third. Substitute Monsef Bakrar settled the contest by scoring the second goal in the 80th minute, coming just 14 minutes after replacing Soufiane Benjdida.
The result extended Al Ahly’s winning streak over Zamalek to four consecutive matches, following a 2-1 league win in September 2025, a 2-0 triumph in the Egyptian Super Cup final, a 3-0 victory in the previous derby last May, and now this latest two-goal win. Across this four-match run, Al Ahly have scored nine goals while conceding just once.
Zamalek’s last on-pitch victory over Al Ahly in regulation time dates back to April 15, 2024, when they won 2-1 in the league thanks to a Seifeddine Kahoui brace. Since then, the White Knights won the CAF Super Cup on penalties in September 2024 following a 1-1 draw, and were awarded a 3-0 administrative win in March 2025 after Al Ahly failed to attend, with no match played.
Al Ahly moved onto 16 points to temporarily take top spot in the league table, one point ahead of Pyramids FC, who face Ceramica Cleopatra later. Meanwhile, Zamalek remained on 13 points and dropped to third place after suffering their first league defeat of the season.
Both clubs will quickly turn their focus from domestic competition to continental fixtures. Zamalek travel to face Rwanda’s APR on Friday in the first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round, while Al Ahly visit Uganda’s Kitara on Saturday in the same round of the CAF Confederation Cup. Domestically, Zamalek return to action against Petrolet Asyut on October 20, while Al Ahly host El Qanah the following day.
