Zamalek captain Shikalaba scored a delightful goal and created another to hand the Cairo giants a vital 2-0 win at Wadi Degla in the Egyptian Premier League on Friday. The flamboyant playmaker, who wore the captaincy armband after Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed handed it to him to quash rumors that they had fallen out with each other, opened the scoring on 31 minutes. He also whipped in an inch-perfect cross that enabled Hassan Mostafa to seal the victory for Hossam Hassan's side. Egypt keeper Al-Sayed suffered an injury that initially came across as severe but he managed to play the whole 90 minutes of the match. Zamalek, who are facing their acrh-rivals Ahli on December 30, are now five points clear on top of the league table. Defending champions Ahli, who have one more game in hand, lie fifth with 23 points, seven adrift of leaders Zamalek. Upon sinking Degla, the five-time African champions extended their winning streak to four matches, having beaten Ismaili, Masri and Ittihad in their previous three games. Fiery Start The match witnessed a fiery start, with both teams looking to snatch an early opener. The first scoring chance fell to Hussein Yasser, who was named for the match despite receiving a call up to Qatar's squad for the AFC Asian Cup.
The Zamalek forward tried his luck after five minutes but missed the target. Degla's Abdul-Fattah Al-Agah replied with a shot from close range seconds later to see his drive go wide too. Hani Saied came close to firing the Whites ahead on 18 minutes when he beat the offside trap to volley a precise long pass from Shikabala, but his tame effort went inches past the post. Zamalek were gradually tightening their grip on the game while their lowly opponents were unable show goal menace most of the first half. Three minutes from the half-hour mark, Omar Gaber released a fierce shot that was competently cleared by Degla guardian Haitham Mohamed. He also blocked a Shika free-kick that deflected off the wall before stinging his palms, to keep a clean sheet for a while further. Wonder Strike Shikabla eventually hit a wonder strike to start translating Zamalek's dominance into goals. The fully-fit schemer eluded a couple of challengers near the edge of the area before sending a cute curled effort over the head of the guardian, who unnecessarily advanced forward. Zamalek took a stranglehold on the match after taking the lead but could have dealt a blow when Al-Sayed got hurt in a challenge.
The veteran goalie suffered a knee injury after Degla's Syrian player Al-Agah collided with him. Al-Sayed received treatment on the pitch and carried on playing, although a lot of blood was covering his leg. Degla tried to restore parity late in the first period but to no avail. Zamalek Keep Upper Hand Minnows Degla, who are playing in the top flight for the first time, notably improved their performance ten minutes past the interval but Zamalek soon controlled the match again. Degla ace Ashour Al-Taqui went one-on-one with Al-Sayed to chip the ball over the keeper's head from an acute angle, but was agonizingly denied by the crossbar. Mostafa doubled Zamalek's lead with a diving header, connecting Shikabala's cross, to help his team get back in control. The energetic Shikabala could have scored a third for Zamalek after dribbling past a couple defenders to send a delicate effort from a tight angle, but narrowly missed the net. The unlucky Al-Sayed was caught in the face in another challenge few minutes from time but again was unharmed.
