Nasser Mansy’s hat‑trick, which included a last‑minute winner, propelled Egyptian giants Zamalek to a 4‑3 victory over El Merreikh on Friday night, securing third place in Group D of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League. The seven‑goal thriller in Cairo seemed destined for a draw until Mansy’s decisive strike earned the White Knights all three points, moving them to seven points on the final matchday, two ahead of the Sudanese side.
The match unfolded as an extraordinary duel, with both teams having nothing to lose after qualification was already out of reach. Zamalek surged ahead early, leading 2‑0 after just two minutes and fifty‑one seconds. Mostafa Shalaby opened the scoring after only eleven seconds—the fastest goal of the Champions League season—followed by Mansy’s low finish. Merreikh responded quickly, narrowing the gap in the seventh minute when skipper Ramadhan Agab headed in from close range after a cross by Bakhit Khamis. The Sudanese side then took the lead three minutes after the break, with Hussein Algozoli’s well‑timed shot equalising, and Paulo Sergio putting Merreikh ahead in the 56th minute with a brilliant header from an Agab cross.
Zamalek fought back, and Mansy restored parity with a bouncing header in the 64th minute. Pressing for a winner, the forward struck again from the edge of the area in stoppage time, clinching the victory. From the kickoff, Zamalek’s opening goal came when Shalaby swept home a pass from Ahmed Belhadji, who then set up Mansy’s second goal less than two and a half minutes later. Despite Merreikh’s comeback, Zamalek’s persistence paid off, and Mansy’s late strike secured the three points.
Comments are closed for this story.