Zamalek start off their Champions League campaign with a 7-0 win

Zamaleks Tarek Hamed

Saturday Aug 17, 2019. 08:00

Egypt’s Zamalek coasted as expected to a comfortable 7-0 win as they belatedly began their African Champions League with a club record equaling triumph over Somalia’s Dekedaha in the first leg of their first round tie in Alexandria on Friday.

It was the first match in 29 years in Africa’s top club competition for a club from Somalia.

Zamalek were ‘hosting’ the game for the Somalis, unable to play at home because of security concerns.

The return will be at the same venue – the Borg El-Arab Stadium — in one week’s time.

Moroccan forward Achraf Bencharki, recently moving from Saudi club Al Hilal, marked his debut with two goals while fellow debutants Karim Bambo and Mostafa Mohamed each scored too.

The other goals came from Omar El-Said, Mahmoud Hamdi and an own goal.

The Cairo giants, who won the African Confederation Cup last season, had previously scored seven goals with reply against Chad duo Gazelle and CotonTchad in 2013 and 2018 respectively.

Bencharki opened the scoring from a fifth minute penalty. In the 29th minute, a cross from Bencharki was turned into his own net by Molly Severin and striker El Said added a third on the stroke of halftime, stabbing home a low cross from the lively Mahmoud Shikabala.

Hamdi converted a low cross from Shikabala for the fourth goal before Bencharki’s low shot squirmed beneath the keeper shortly after.

Substitute Bambo hammered home the sixth from 20 yards and Mohamed, finished off the goal rout with 10 minutes to go.