JEDDAH, 21 July 2003 — Egypt’s Zamalek, capitalizing on the home advantage, emerged triumphant in the Arab League Super Cup with a 2-1 verdict over Al-Kuwait of Kuwait in a rough and tumble soccer match that saw two stoppages in the second half.
The robust play by Zamalek players triggered the fight after Zamalek’s second goal which came in the 12th minute of the session. Then just before the final whistle, another brawl erupted with Kuwait pressing for a late equalizer.
On both the occasions officials from both the teams assisted the police to bring down the temperature on the field and cool frayed tempers. But before the second half drama, Zamalek, under pressure to deliver with the whole of Egypt rooting for them, opened with a flourish and sustained domination throughout the half.
But they however had only one goal to show for all their superiority. The goal came in the 22nd minute, with a crisp cross from the left finding Ahmad Salih unmarked and positioned inside the box. Salih sent the ball into the back of the net by placing neatly to the goalie’s right.
Zamalek was under additional pressure to secure a morale-boosting win as they are to take on fancied Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad in the forthcoming Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup on Thursday.
And when Zamalek sent their fans into raptures with a 12th minute second goal, Kuwait’s hopes of making a match of it looked shattered. A nice cross from the left was redirected into the goal by Mahmoud Mahmoud with a neat header.
With Kuwait suddenly springing to life, their attacks were cut down by a tight but robust Zamalek defense, and following one such move an altercation developed into a major fight. The game was stopped for five minutes. When play resumed, Kuwait once again moved into the attack and in the 42nd minute, succeeded in scoring a goal following a well-planned attack.
The ball was played to international player Somalia, who nodded the ball onto another International player Olivera, whose full-blooded shot bulged the net. Soon after this another fight forced the game to be stopped, and when the game resumed Zamalek held on to their slender lead to win.
