Zamalek transformed a difficult night against National Bank of Egypt into a convincing 3-0 victory after producing a completely different second-half performance in their Egyptian Premier League second-round clash at Cairo International Stadium.

National Bank looked the more dangerous side during the opening 45 minutes, but Zamalek changed the momentum after the break. Moataz Gamal’s substitutions played a major role in turning the contest around as the White Knights claimed their first league win of the season and moved onto four points.

Banza Changes the Game

National Bank created the greater threat in the first half and came close to breaking the deadlock on several occasions, while Zamalek struggled to impose themselves and create clear openings.

Yao Anor was involved in one of the hosts’ most dangerous moments when an effort struck the crossbar, while Zamalek responded shortly before halftime through a powerful Adi Al-Dabbagh strike that was brilliantly saved by Abdel Aziz El-Balouty.

The game changed shortly after the restart when Moataz Gamal introduced Chico Banza, with the substitute making an almost immediate impact.

In the 51st minute, Al-Dabbagh delivered the ball from the left toward Banza inside the penalty area. His effort was affected by National Bank defender Mohamed Nasr’s attempted clearance before the ball ended up in the net, giving Zamalek the breakthrough.

National Bank continued to threaten despite falling behind. Yao Anor missed another opportunity, while Mahdy Soliman produced a crucial save to deny Ahmed Yasser Rayan in a one-on-one situation before later stopping a powerful Ahmed Madbouly effort.

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Zamalek Seal the Victory

Zamalek eventually ended National Bank’s hopes of a comeback in the 86th minute. Mahmoud Bentayg delivered an accurate cross from the left, and Hossam Ashraf met it with a strong header to double the lead.

The White Knights then added a third deep into stoppage time. Mohamed El-Sayed led a quick counterattack before setting up Ahmed Abdel-Rahim “Isho,” who finished comfortably to complete the 3-0 victory.

The result handed Zamalek their first win of the new league campaign after they had opened the season with a goalless draw against Al Ittihad Alexandria.

Zamalek moved onto four points and climbed to second place provisionally behind Tala’ea El Gaish, who have six points, while National Bank remained without a point after suffering defeats in their opening two matches.

The result also extended Zamalek’s strong record against National Bank. Before this encounter, the two sides had met 13 times across all competitions, with Zamalek recording eight wins compared with one for National Bank and four draws.

After struggling during the opening half, Zamalek’s ability to change the game from the bench ultimately proved decisive, allowing the White Knights to secure a comfortable victory and quickly return to winning ways.