Zamalek achieved a victory at the expense of AS Port of Djibouti with a score of 2-1, in the match that brought them together this Friday evening at Cairo International Stadium, as part of the first preliminary round of the African Champions League.
The White team imposed its dominance early on, after Mohamed Shehata managed to open the scoring in the sixth minute, giving Zamalek an early advantage in the match.
Zamalek continued its pressure in search of strengthening its lead, which was achieved in the 37th minute through the Angolan Chico Banza, who added the second goal for the White team, ending the first half with the hosts leading by two goals to nil.
In the second half, AS Port tried to get back into the game, and succeeded in reducing the deficit in the 82nd minute, after Mehdi Hussein Mahbi exploited a mistake in Zamalek's defense and scored the first goal for the Djiboutian team.
Zamalek maintained its lead during the remaining minutes, to emerge with a 2-1 victory, and place a foot in the next round before playing the second leg.
The return match between Zamalek and AS Port is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 12th, also at Cairo International Stadium.
Zamalek returns to participate in the African Champions League after an absence of 3 years, after winning the Egyptian Premier League title last season 2025-2026, to begin the White team's continental journey anew with ambitions to compete for the title.