fbarena.com
Zamalek's hopes of advancing to the next round of the ongoing Arab Cup were dashed as they conceded a late goal by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, resulting in a 1-1 draw against Al-Nassr on Thursday.
The White Knights needed a victory to secure their place in the competition's next stage, and they came close to achieving their goal when Ahmed "Zizo" Sayed converted a penalty seven minutes into the second half, giving them a 1-0 lead.
However, Ronaldo rescued his team by scoring the equalizer with a well-executed header just three minutes before the final whistle.
Zamalek finished the group stage in third place with four points, three points behind leaders Al-Shabab, who also won their match against Monastir 1-0 on Thursday.
Al-Nassr secured the other qualifying ticket from the group by finishing in second place with five points.
Opportunities were scarce in the first half, with Zamalek dominating possession while Al-Nassr seemed satisfied with the draw, which was enough for them to advance to the quarterfinals.
The second half marked the debut of Al-Nassr's new signing, Sadio Mane, who joined the Saudi side from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Just eight minutes into the second half, Zamalek striker Seif Jaziri won a penalty after the ball struck the hand of Alex Telles inside the box.
Penalty specialist Ahmed "Zizo" Sayed confidently converted the spot-kick with a powerful shot that found the back of the net.
In an attempt to avoid an early exit, Ronaldo and Mane increased the pressure to score the equalizer, but they failed to pose a significant threat.
However, with three minutes remaining, Cristiano Ronaldo outjumped his marker, Mohamed Abdel-Ghani, and easily headed the ball home from close range.
Zamalek made desperate efforts to score the winning goal in the remaining minutes, but their mission proved unsuccessful.
No comments
Post a Comment