A brace from Bassem Morsi, who was also the hero of last year's final against the same opponent, gave Zamalek a fourth successive Egypt Cup title following a 3-1 victory over arch-rivals Ahly in a thrilling final in Alexandria on Monday.
A quick-fire first-half double, including a penalty, by the combative striker put Zamalek 2-0 up after 25 minutes despite a cautious start but Ahly narrowed the deficit when Abdallah El-Said converted another spot-kick less than 10 minutes later.
Zamalek were then lucky to survive a barrage of attacks as Ahly moved the ball around smoothly, exposing some defensive and midfield gaps to outpace their opponents, especially on the flanks.
However, in a second half breakaway, substitute Mostafa Fathi scored against the run of play after a brilliant individual effort to deal a devastating blow to Ahly's chances of staging a comeback at a time when the Red Devils were in almost total control.
Matters went from bad to worse for Ahly in the dying minutes when two players were sent off. Skipper Hossam Ghaly received a second yellow card for a studs-up challenge on Morsi and right-back Ahmed Fathi was also booked again for a handball.
Zamalek's coach Moemen Soliman enjoyed his first trophy at the helm after taking over on an interim basis following the sacking of Mohamed Helmi, with the club winning the title four times in a row for the first time in their history.
This feat was achieved by Ahly, the record winners with 35 titles to Zamalek's 25, in the early 1980s.
Both sides will also clash in the Egyptian Super Cup, which is likely to take place in the United Arab Emirates in October, after Ahly had won their ninth Premier League title in 10 seasons.
Zamalek also defeated Ahly 2-0 in last year's cup final, a victory that ended their eight-year winless run against their nemesis.
