Bencharki leads Al Ahly to 3-0 win over Zamalek in Cairo derby

Cairo, May 1 : Forward Achraf Bencharki scored twice and set up another goal as Al Ahly beat Zamalek 3-0 in the Egyptian Premier League on Friday.

The Moroccan opened the scoring with a header in the Cairo derby in the 18th minute but did not celebrate against his former club.

Al Ahly doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when Bencharki provided the assist for Hussein El Shahat, who chipped the ball over Zamalek goalkeeper El Mahdi Soliman.

“It was a poor match for us and an even worse result,” Zamalek coach Motamed Gamal told reporters. “I am sad for Zamalek’s supporters. I had hoped they would leave the stadium happy after achieving a positive result.”

Both sides missed penalties in the second half. Al Ahly goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir saved Hossam Abdelmaguid’s spot kick in the 55th minute before Mahmoud Trezeguet struck the left post 11 minutes later.

Bencharki made it 3-0 in the 74th minute after a through ball from Emam Ashour, celebrating with the Al Ahly fans. He has now scored four goals in four matches against Zamalek since joining the title holders.

Third-placed Al Ahly have 47 points, three behind joint leaders Zamalek and Pyramids, with two matches remaining.

Al Ahly coach Jess Thorup praised his team’s performance.

“We played with discipline,” the Dane said. “I told the players before the match that they had to make their families proud, and that fighting spirit is what they showed.”