Zamalek head coach Motamed Gamal remains confident that his side still have everything to play for despite falling 1-0 to USM Alger in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup final on Saturday.
The Egyptian giants thought they had grabbed a late winner at the Stade du 5 Juillet when Juan Alvina struck deep into second-half stoppage time, only for VAR to intervene and overturn the goal.
After a review, the referee ruled that Hossam Abdelmaguid had fouled Rayane Mahrouz earlier in the move at the other end of the pitch, awarding a penalty to the hosts. Ahmed Khaldi then kept his composure from 12 yards to hand USM Alger a slender advantage heading into the second leg.
Zamalek struggled to impose themselves in Algiers and created limited clear-cut chances, but Gamal insists the tie is far from over, especially with the return leg set for Cairo.
The White Knights remain unbeaten at home in the competition this season, conceding just twice in six matches—against Kaizer Chiefs (2-1) in the group stage and AS Otoho (2-1) in the quarter-finals.
“There is a first half that has ended in Algeria, and there is still another half in Cairo. We have strong motivation to make up for this and win the title,” Gamal said after the match.
“We had hoped at least to come away with a goalless draw. The players did what they had to do on the pitch. We defended well and had more chances to score by relying on transitions.
“We will fight until the last minute to win and claim the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup title. Zamalek have big players and they are up to the responsibility. We will make every possible effort in the return leg to win and lift the continental title.”
With everything still to play for, Zamalek will now turn their focus to overturning the deficit in front of their home supporters in Cairo.
