* As they prepare to face Morocco’s RS Berkane in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup final on Sunday
* Their latest quest for continental supremacy is merely the continuation of an enduring love affair with Africa’s club competitions
* As the North Africans have graced with a catalogue of iconic performances and indelible memories
Maravi Express
Zamalek are among some of the few clubs that have made African club competition their own personal fiefdoms over the past decades and as they prepare to face Morocco’s RS Berkane in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup final on Sunday, Egyptian football’s overachievers find themselves in familiar territory.
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The Cairo-based White Knights established themselves as one of the most decorated clubs in African football history with five CAF Champions League titles and one CAF Confederation Cup trophy to their name.
Their latest quest for continental supremacy is merely the continuation of an enduring love affair with Africa’s club competitions as Zamalek have graced with a catalogue of iconic performances and indelible memories.
The Cairo giants etched their name into the CAF Confederation Cup’s roll of honour in 2019, defeating the same Moroccan opponents, RS Berkane to claim their first title of the revamped tournament.
The CAF Confederation Cup was established in 2004 from a merger of the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners’ Cup and before the fusion of the two competitions, Zamalek had won Cup Winners’ Cup in 2000.
It would prove to be the start of Zamalek capturing of titles in the second tier continental club competition having won the Champions League titles 1984, 1986, 1993, 1996 and 2002.
Their 2019 triumph was perhaps the most dramatic of all, as the White Knights beat RS Berkane on penalties in the final to win the Confederation Cup title for the first time.
That victory encapsulated the spirit and resolve that has become synonymous with Zamalek’s exploits on the continent — and the White Knights’ pedigree extends far beyond mere statistics, however.
The Confederation Cup has provided the stage for some of the club’s most revered players to etch their names into folklore — with iconic figures such as Abdel Halim Ali, Hazem Emam, Ahmed Hossam ‘Mido’, Emmanuel Amunike, Emmanuel Quarshie, and Shikabala having all played integral roles in shaping Zamalek’s legacy as continental heavyweights.
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Shikabala was the key player behind Zamalek’s most recent Confederation Cup triumph in 2019, leading the club to the promised land and as they prepare to lock horns with Berkane once again, Zamalek coach Portuguese tactician Jose Gomes will be leaning heavily on that institutional knowledge and experience of captain Shikabala, aware that his side’s status as continental heavyweights will be put to the test over two highly-charged legs.
Road to the final
Preliminary round: 4-3 aggregate winners over AS Arta
It was a rather shaky start for the Egyptians in the preliminary round when they had to reverse a 2-0 loss against Djibouti’s AS Arta. In what would be deemed as a disastrous exit, the Egyptians showed class in a convincing 4-1 reverse victory that saw them advance to the group stages.
Group stage: finished top of Group B with 16 points
Zamalek made their title ambitions quite clear in the group stages after finishing top of Group B in a pool consisting of Abu Salem (Libya), Sagrada Esperanca (Angola) and CO Coyah (Guinea).
Zamalek’s dominant display saw them finish top of the group with 16 points from five wins and a single 0-0 draw against Sagrada Esperance away from home.
Their group stage performance saw them finish as the team with the highest points in the group stages with 16 points.
Quarter-finals: 3-2 aggregate win over Modern Future
Competition became a stiffer in the quarter-final when the former champions had to face off against fellow Egyptian Premier League counterparts, Modern Future FC.
They survived a scare in the first leg after coming back from a goal down to seal an important 2-1 away victory courtesy late goals in both halves by Hamza Mathlouthi and Ahmed Sayed’s late penalty conversion.
The second leg was a highly tactical affair by the two Egyptian sides. Zamalek had to show their championship mettle once again as Ahmed Hamdi levelled matters for the match to end in a 1-1 draw that was enough for the former champions to advance.
Semi-finals: 3-0 aggregate win over Dreams FC
Facing a highly spirited Dreams FC was not going to be an easy task for Zamalek who had to overcome a side who on their debut made history by reaching the semi-finals of the competition.
The Ghanaians looked to be well on course to causing yet another upset after initially holding Zamalek to a goalless draw in their own backyard, before crushing to a 3-0 defeat in Kumasi in a result that sees Zamalek through the final.—Reporting by CAFonline
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