Zamalek beat rivals Al Ahly 2-1 in Egypt Cup final on Thursday to secure their 28th title in the club’s history.

A dominant first half saw Zamalek go ahead by two goals with Ahmed Sayed Zizo capitalising on an error by Mohamed El-Shenawy before Emam Ashour doubled his side’s advantage with a sublime effort minutes later.

To add to their woes, Al Ahly forward Mohamed Sherif was forced off the pitch with a first-half injury and was replaced by Hossam Hassan.

Zamalek were also close to a third goal as Achraf Bencharki’s curler rattled the crossbar with Al Ahly’s Mohamed El-Shenawy standing still between the posts.

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“I think Zamalek were excellent in the first half and managed to score first as result.” Soares said in the press conference after the game.

“We gifted them two easy goals, which affected the team’s confidence. And Zamalek made of the most of their chances while we simply didn’t.

“The first goal came from a catastrophic mistake. And then the second goal followed the same pattern. What’s strange to me is that both goals came from unforced errors as the players were not under pressure.

“We scored in the second half and tried to equalise. But Zamalek were strong defensively but I believe we deserved to go through to extra time.

“Of course, we are very disappointed. But the most important thing is to look forward but injuries affect the team’s progress. And we are trying to avoid them as much as we can.

“We are working on building an identity for the team. But the circumstances are difficult because of injuries and the congested fixtures as well.

“I just need time and I promise to make all teams fear Al Ahly once again.” He added.

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