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Chiefs snatch a draw against Zamalek

football29 November 2025 15:00| © Backpage TXT
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Kaizer Chiefs snatched a 1-1 draw at home to Zamalek in a CAF Confederation Cup Group D match played at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Amakhosi were staring down the barrel of a second successive defeat to Egyptian opposition (after a 2-1 reverse away to Al Masry last weekend), but a last-gasp equaliser from Dillon Solomons (with a big helping hand from White Knights goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi) saw the South African side at least register their first point of the campaign.

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Al Masry lead the group with six points, Zamalek are second with four, Chiefs are third with one point, and Zambia’s Zesco United have yet to get off the mark.

Zamalek claimed the lead as early as the third minute in this match.

Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Peterson was guilty of flapping at a set-piece delivery, allowing a loose ball in the penalty area which was struck home by Seifeddine Jaziri.

Chiefs almost drew level three minutes later in spectacular style, with Gaston Sirino spotting Zamalek’s Mohamed Sobhi off his line and shooting with a long-range volley – his effort beat the desperate goalkeeper but not the upright, rebounding away to safety.

The hosts also suffered two early injury set-backs, with Bradley Cross and Sirino succumbing to knocks and being replaced by Paseka Mako and Mfundo Vilakazi respectively within the opening 19 minutes.

Sirino was noticeably distraught while being stretchered off, suggesting a serious and/or potentially long-term injury.

Chiefs were the dominant force through the remainder of the first half, but were left frustrated in their attempts to level the game, with only unsuccessful long-range efforts from Lebohang Maboe and Vilakazi to show for their work.

The White Knights very nearly doubled their advantage early in the second half, with an attack down the right flank ultimately seeing the ball trickling toward the goal line, only for Chiefs’ Ignacio Miguel to make a desperate clearance to keep his side in the contest.

On 75 minutes the Egyptian side had another chance to make it 2-0, as substitute Oday Dabbagh drove forward and fired a shot on goal, but Peterson made a good save to bail out his retreating defence.

Chiefs saw plenty of the ball through the second half, but lacked the creativity, pace and penetration to find a way past Zamalek’s well-organised and disciplined defence.

However, with a home defeat seemingly an inevitability, the Amakhosi snatched a 1-1 draw with a goal six minutes into injury time: Solomons attempted a cross from the right flank which took a slight deflection from a defender and was then fumbled into his own net by Sobhi to make it 1-1.

The teams will return to Group D action in late January 2026, with Chiefs away to Zambia’s Zesco United and Zamalek at home to compatriots Al Masry.

Kaizer Chiefs (0) 1 (Solomons/Sobhi og 90+6’)

Zamalek (1) 1 (Jaziri 3’)

Chiefs: Peterson, Solomons, Kwinika, Miguel, Cross (Mako 14’), Mthethwa (Ngcobo 74’), Shabalala, Sirino (Vilakazi 19’), Maboe, Mmodi, Ighodaro (Silva 74’)

Zamalek: Sobhi, Abdelmaguid, Fatouh, Ismail (Bentayg 76’), Gaber, Shehata, Maher (Kaied 88’), EW Mahmoud, Jaziri (Dabbagh 57’), Alvina, Banza

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