Egyptian players should always commit to strict regulations to display the best performance, said Zamalek s coachMilutin Micho Sredojevic, who also stressed that football is not about big names, but about those who apply modern football standards. "I concentrate on four factors, the first of them is strict adherence, and the second is respecting the 111-year-old club which has millions of fans," Micho told Al-Hadath Al-Youm TV Channel. "Another factor is stressing that we are a big family which needs to respect the Egyptian traditions and culture. I am so proud to be a member of Zamalek s family," he added. Micho led Zamalek in four games since he joined the team last month, winning all of them and nabbing the Egypt Cup title after defeating Pyramids FC 3-0 in the final last Sunday. The 50-year-old former Uganda coach has praised Zamalek s board for their successful transfer market, saying, "I thank the board for signing good players who possess great personalities and deserve to wear Zamalek s jersey." Zamalek is scheduled to face Senegal s Generation Foot in the first leg match of the 32nd round of the African Champions League on 14 September. "Every successful team needs three things: a solid defence that starts the attack from the back lines, a strong offense, and an enjoyable performance for the fans. This is my dream and what I seek, and I m sure that Zamalek can reach it," Micho concluded.

A double from new recruit Achraf Bencharki gave Zamalek their sixth Egypt Cup title in the last seven seasons following a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Pyramids FC in Alexandria on Sunday. The Moroccan winger, who joined from Saudi side Al-Hilal in the summer, netted with two clinical finishes to end the match as a contest after deep-lying forward Youssef Ibrahim had given Zamalek the lead early in the second half. The White Knights displayed a free-flowing game to tore their hapless opponents to shreds, wrapping up their favourite title without conceding a single goal and giving new Serbian coach Micho his first triumph at the helm. The Egypt Cup win, coupled with an African Confederation Cup triumph in May, will ease the disappointment of Zamalek s failure to complete a treble after throwing away a comfortable lead to surrender the Egyptian league title to arch foes Ahly. Zamalek took their tally to 27 Egypt Cup titles, 9 behind Ahly who could only win the secondary domestic competition once in the last 12 years. Although Zamalek had the better of the first-half chances, Pyramids were more than a match in an exciting duel. Pyramids, who were eyeing their first title, could have drawn the first blood as early as the eight minute when a bicycle effort from Ghanaian striker John Antwi went just wide of the post. But Zamalek quickly took control, with some dynamic moves and perfectly-timed runs from wingers Mahmoud Shikabala and Bencharki behind the defence unsettling Pyramids rearguard. However, Zamalek s best chances were created via set-pieces rather than orchestrated, open-play moves. Tunisian midfielder Ferjani Sassi volleyed high over with the goal gaping after keeper Ahmed El-Shennawi fumbled at an inswinging corner from Shikabala. The towering goalie then atoned for his mistake by producing a superb one-handed save to thwart a goal-bound header from Sassi. Zamalek turned on the style in the second half to crush Pyramids, thanks to some neat combinations down both flanks as Bencharki and Shikabala stole the show. They deservedly went ahead in the 52nd minute when Sassi found Shikabala on the right with a pinpoint long ball that sliced open the defence, with the veteran winger neatly controlling it before feeding Ibrahim with the outside of his left foot for an easy tap-in at the far post. Bencharki made it 2-0 11 minutes later with a fine header following an inviting cross from right-back Hamdi Nagguez before completing the rout seven minutes from time after finishing off a sublime team move. A series of intricate passes released substitute Mohamed Ounajem on the left and he pulled the ball back to the unmarked Bencharki to side-foot home and spark wild celebrations in the stands.

Pyramids FC will be eyeing their first ever title when they face Egypt Cup title holders Zamalek in the championship s final on Sunday. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced that 20.000 fans would be allowed to attend the anticipated game of Egypt s secondary domestic competition final at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab stadium. The match date was finally announced by the football association after a very long season due to Egypt s hosting of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Pyramids FC, formerly known as Al-Assiouty Sport, reached their first ever final of a major competition after beating Petrojet 2-0 on Monday. Zamalek, who seek their sixth cup title in seven seasons, booked their place in the final after Sunday s 1-0 win over Ittihad of Alexandria. The Whites are the Cup holders after winning the title in the last edition in 2018; beating Smouha 5-4 on penalties. Zamalek chase their second title this season after they claimed the CAF Cup title last May. It would be a golden chance for Zamalek to reconcile fans after losing the precious league title to arch-rivals Ahly after throwing away an eight-point lead. On the other side, the title will kick off a glory era for the high-spending club Pyramids that already became a rising football powerhouse in Egypt after being sold to foreign investors in 2018. Sunday s match will witness a big challenge as Zamalek and Pyramids FC will start the game with newly assigned coaches; the Serbian Milutin "Micho" Sredojevic and the French Sebastien Desabre, respectively. Zamalek squad will be boosted by Tunisian key duo right-back Hamdi Nagguez and central midfielder Ferjani Sassi after obtaining permission to put off joining their national team. Pyramids FC will be at full strength after announcing that injured trio Mohamed Farouk, Nabil Emad Dunga and Eric Traore had fully recovered for the final. Serbian Coach Micho has reportedly warned Zamalek s players against their opponent s quick movements on the field , while French tactician Desabre said he believed both teams had equal chances to win the Egypt Cup title.

Former Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has said he would not have brought Neymar back to La Liga had he been coach of Barcelona or Real Madrid, even though he recognises the Brazilian s outstanding qualities as a player. Barcelona held several meetings with Paris St Germain to bring the Brazilian back to the Camp Nou two years after he walked out on them to join the French side for a world record fee of 222 million euros (about $245 million). But the two clubs failed to strike a deal before the transfer window closed on Sept. 2, with PSG s sporting director Leonardo claiming that the Spanish champions had failed to meet his side s asking price. Leonardo also acknowledged that his club had spoken to Real Madrid about the forward. Neymar has scored 51 goals for PSG but both of his seasons in France have been marred by serious injuries at key stages in the campaign. He also had an on-field dispute with team mate Edinson Cavani over penalty taking duties. "I think it would have been good for the Spanish league if he had come back but if I was a coach of a club I wouldn t have brought him back," Del Bosque told Spanish television network Estudio Estadio. "Whilst I ll say he is a brilliant player, I don t think very highly of him for other reasons." Del Bosque, who won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 as Spain coach plus two Champions League titles as coach of Real, also criticised Neymar for the manner in which he left Barcelona in 2017. "With Barcelona he did not behave well, in fact he behaved badly, very badly," he added. "If you surveyed Barcelona fans I m sure that more than half of them wouldn t want him back. There s a reason for that."

Tunisia have granted permission to Zamalek right-back Hamdi Nagguez and central midfielder Ferjani Sassi to stay with the Cairo club for Sunday s Egypt Cup final despite being called up by their national team for two friendlies this month. In a brief statement on its Facebook page, the Tunisian Football Federation said it had accepted a request from Zamalek to have the influential players available for Sunday s clash against Pyramids FC. Tunisia will now face Mauritania and Cote d voire in two friendly matches without Sassi and Nagguez. Both players are key to Zamalek s chances of winning their second trophy of the season after they clinched the African Confederation Cup title. Sassi has quickly become a fan favourite following his arrival at Zamalek from Saudi side Al Nassr in the summer of 2018, thanks to his defence-splitting passes and neat distribution of the ball. Nagguez, who joined Zamalek from Tunisia s Etoile Sahel in January 2018, is also one of the team s key men, with his inviting crosses from the right providing many assists. Zamalek, who lost the Egyptian Premier League title to arch rivals Ahly after throwing away an eight-point lead, reached the Cup final after claiming a 1-0 win over Ittihad on Sunday.

Pyramids FC French coach Sebastien Desabre said he believes that his team has an equal chances with rivals Zamalek to win Egypt Cup title. The two teams will meet on Sunday in Egypt s secondary domestic competition final. "I am happy to face Zamalek and also with meeting Ahly in the round of 16. We respect both teams," the French tactician Desabre, who took charge of Pyramids FC earlier in July, told ON Sport TV channel on Monday night. Pyramids FC, who elminated league champions Ahly in the cup s round of 16 after beating them 1-0 on 17 August, have reached their first ever Egypt Cup final after defeating Petrojet 2-0 on Monday. "We should prepare well for the Zamalek test at both the technical and physical levels," said the Pyrmaids coach after the Petrojet win. "We have a chance to win the cup title. Our chances are 50/50 with Zamalek," the former Uganda and Egypt s Ismaily coach said. "We have to get rest for some time and then continue our work and develop our performance." "The team is improving gradually and this is clear with every match. We played five matches and won all of them and the performance gets better." "There is a competition between players and this motivates everyone and is beneficial for all of us. My ambition is to win titles and I will do my best now to win the Cup title," he concluded. Against Zamalek, the high-spending club Pyramids FC, formerly known as Al-Assiouty Sport, will be playing in its first ever final of any major competition. Zamalek, who seek their sixth cup title in seven seasons, booked their place in the final after Sunday s 1-0 win over Ittihad of Alexandria.

Ahly s newly signed Swiss tactician Rene Weiler has promised to win all titles with the team during the club s press conference introducing the coach. Egyptian champions Ahly announced on Saturday the appointment of Weiler as the club s new coach, holding a press conference on Monday to introduce the team s new boss. Ahly faces Cano Sport on Weiler s birthday The Red Devils are scheduled to face Equatorial Guinea s Cano Sport in the first leg of the 32nd round of the CAF Champions League on 14 September, and the return leg, in Egypt, two weeks later. "The game s date will be on my birthday and it s an appropriate time to introduce myself to the fans," Weiler said. "I am ready to work with the team this afternoon as the next game is after 10 days. I will work to achieve the victory. "We will do our best to win the CAF Champions League title as they have not won it for a long time," he added. Weiler explains his tactics When asked about his tactics during the games, the Swiss tactician affirmed that it depends on the players style and said that he will do his best to achieve the target of every game. "We have to work with all players individually, and I promise all fans that they will be happy, as happiness always comes with victory. "My working system will depend on the players style and qualities, so I will put my plan according to the players quality, so in general we will play with an offensive style to win. "I know well the team s great history and I am happy with the fans support," Weiler added "We will do our best and work every day to achieve positive results." Weiler s first appearance in Africa The 45-year-old Weiler has expressed his happiness to be coaching a big team like Ahly, saying, "It s a chance for me to arrive in Africa to coach a big team." He also affirmed his readiness to lead the team during the coming competitions. "I studied the team before my arrival in Egypt and I did my work as a coach and I am ready to lead the team," Weiler told the press conference. "I ask Ahly fans to continue supporting the team and I am happy with this pressure," he said. Ahly lists reasons of signing Weiler The head of the planning committee at Ahly, Taha Ismail, said Weiler was signed despite there having been negotiations with other experienced tacticians, and asked Ahly fans to support the new coach. "The main reason to sign this coach is his way of dealing with the players as well as his work with the youth team," Ismail told the press conference. "He knows well all the challenges he will face and I ask all Ahly fans to support this coach," Ismail said.

Egypt has topped the final medal table in the 2019 African Games in Morocco on Saturday after obtaining 273 medals, including 102 gold medals. Coming in second is Nigeria with 127 medals, including 46 gold medals, and South Africa which received 87 medals, 36 gold. Algeria ranked fourth after receiving 125 medals, with 33 gold followed by Morocco which received 109 medals, including 31 gold. Tunisia came in the sixth rank with 97 medals, with 26 gold. The African Games are held in four Moroccan cities including Rabat, Casablanca, al-Gadida, Sale and Ben Slimane, featuring the participation of 52 African countries. The tournament is one of the qualifying tournaments for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Ghana will host the upcoming 2023 African Games. The 12th edition of the Africa Games ran from August 18 to August 31. World swimming champion Farida Osman won her fourth medal in the Africa Games followed by her gold medal in butterfly swimming, as well as the silver medal in the 100 meters freestyle. The Egyptian judo team also claimed four gold medals and another four medals in the men s categories, The Nation Online reported. The judo team is led by Ramadan Darwish, a prominent judo competitor who snatched the bronze medal at the World Championship in 2009. Another Egyptian gold medal was seized by Ali Hazem, who beat Tunisia s Mohamed Snoussi. The judo medal event was the first of its kind to be hosted in Morocco s Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex.

Egyptian Football Association announced on Thursday that the semifinal games of Egypt Cup will start on Sunday, as Zamalek meets Ittihad while Petrojet await the winner from Pyramdis FC s match against Haras El-Hodoud. Zamalek booked their seat in the semis after defeating Maqassa 1-0 on Wednesday, to face Ittihad which qualified after beating Ismaily 3-1 last May, on Sunday at 20:00 Cairo local time (GMT+2) at Ismailia stadium, according to a statement published on EFA s official Facebook page. Earlier this month Pyramids defeated Ahly 1-0 in the round of 16 in the postponed game for many times due to Ahly s participation in the African Champions League. Pyramids are scheduled to face Haras El-Hodoud in the quarterfinal of Egypt s Cup on Friday, and the winner will play in the semifinal on Monday against Petrojet at Petrosport stadium on Monday at 20:00 Cairo local time (GMT+2).

Tunisia s Etoile Sportive du Sahel have announced that they have reached an agreement with Egypt s Ahly regarding their AWOL striker Souleymane Coulibaly, without revealing any details. "We have reached an initial agreement with Ahly regarding Souleymane Coulibaly, and we are waiting to continue the legal procedures," read a statement on the club s official Facebook page on Tuesday. In June 2017, Ahly lodged a complaint with FIFA against Coulibaly due to his unauthorised absence, which ended with fining the player $1.436 million. The Tunisian giants are facing an obstacle in signing the Ivorian striker, as Ahly are still owed $450,000 from Coulibaly. The 24-year-old Coulibaly had missed Ahly s training session in May 2017, leaving only a message saying he had flown to London for private reasons. He later said he sought to terminate his contract with Ahly, a request that was rejected by the Cairo giants. Coulibaly, who joined Ahly in the 2016 winter transfer market on a three-and-a-half year deal, scored six league goals in 12 matches in all competitions.

Egyptian club Ittihad of Alexandria got a first leg advantage after beating Alarabi of Kuwait 1-0 away in the Arabian Champions Cup (Mohamed VI Champions Cup) round of 32 on Monday. Striker Khaled Kamar scored the match s only goal from a penalty on minute 49 to boost the coastal side chances ahead of the second leg on 27 September in Alexandria. Ittihad were eliminated from last year s edition after their loss to Saudi Arabia s Al-Hilal in the quarter final.

Equatorial Guinea side Cano Sport will face Egyptian giants and record eight-time winners Ahly in the African Champions League second round after overcoming Ethiopia s Mekelle in the preliminary stage. Cano Sport held Mekelle to a 1-1 away draw in the second leg on Sunday to go through with a 3-2 aggregate win. They will host Ahly in the first leg mid-September while the return leg will take place in Egypt two weeks later. Ahly reached the second round after thumping Atlabara of South Soudan 13-0 on aggregate (4-0 and 9-0). Established in 2014, Cano Sport won the Equatorial Guinean league last season. Meanwhile, Senegalese side Generation foot will face Ahly s Cairo rivals Zamalek in the same round after overcoming LPRC Oilers of Liberia 3-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round. Zamalek went through with an emphatic 13-0 aggregate win, crushing Somalia s Dekadaha 7-0 in the first leg and 6-0 in the second.

Egypt s Zamalek marked the debut of Serbian coach Milutin Micho Sredojevic with a 6-0 victory over Somalia s Dekedaha to complete an emphatic 13-0 aggregate victory and reach the African Champions League second round on Saturday. Striker Mostafa Mohamed and veteran winger Mahmoud Shikabala, a fan favourite who returned to his boyhood club in the summer, scored twice apiece as Zamalek once again toyed with their helpless opponents following a 7-0 first-leg win. Although Zamalek s progress was guaranteed, Micho was restless on the touchline, passionately conveying his instructions as the Cairo giants were slow in the first half. Mostafa, back to Zamalek following a fruitful loan spell at Talae El-Gaish, scored in the first leg and was on target again on Saturday when he chipped the ball over the keeper after a threaded pass from new recruit Achraf Bencharki on 25 minutes. Zamalek wasted several goal-scoring chances to increase their lead in the first half but came out with all guns glazing in the second, with Mostafa making it 2-0 in the 52nd minute with a free far-post header following an inviting cross from left winger Abdallah Gomaa. Shikabala then stole the show, cutting inside his marker to drill a low shot home before adding the fourth with a right-foot volley in the 73rd minute. Central defender Mahmoud Alaa had a penalty saved by the keeper but the referee pointed to the spot again when Bencharki was tripped as he attempted to bury home the rebound. Alaa made no mistake on the second attempt. Defensive midfielder Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz completed the rout five minutes from time with a dipping shot from the edge of the area.

Egyptian Premier League champions Ahly will face an easy mission when they host South Sudanese side Atlabara at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab Stadium in the second leg of the CAF Champions League on Friday, as the first leg of the preliminary round finished with 4-0 for the Red Devils two weeks ago. The Cairo giants kicked off their bid to win the African Champions League for the first time since 2013 with an easy 4-0 win over Atlabara in the first leg of the preliminary round.

Contracting a new coach for the national football team has been established as a priority, according to Amr El-Ganainy, head of the normalisation committee at the Egyptian Football Association (EFA). El-Ganainy promised Egyptian football was set to be back on the right track. The statement was one of El-Ganainy s earliest since he had been appointed head of the normalisation committee, formed on Tuesday night upon FIFA directives for the new committee to function until the upcoming elections. “The necessity of changing the regulations of the statute – in force since 2011 -- was FIFA s top priority while assigning the temporary committee to moderate the association,” El-Ganainy told Nile Sports TV Channel. FIFA s decision comes on the heels of the resignation of the EFA President Hany Abo Rida and board members after the national team s unceremonious exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, held in Egypt, in the 16th round in July. The EFA was then temporarily managed by its Chief Executive Tharwat Sewilam, during which time a FIFA mission visited Cairo. “We also want to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the Egyptian Premier League. We know the feature is costly, but we are currently looking for a sponsor,” El-Ganainy said. Despite being a former Zamalek Club board member, El-Ganainy said he would stand at an equal distance from all football clubs, “be it Ahly, Zamalek, or any other club.” Before its resignation, the EFA board sacked coach Javier Aguirre of the national team after the early elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations. The coach s bench remains vacant. “Hiring a new coach for the national team is one of the normalisation committee s top priorities. We are aiming for a top-level coach who can lead the Pharaohs in the coming period,” El-Ganainy added.

Zamalek held a press conference on Tuesday unveiling their new Serbian coach Milutin Micho Sredojevic, revealing the details of the deal. On Monday, the 49-year-old Micho signed the contract with Zamalek, but the club had not disclosed any details. "Micho signed a one-season contract for $1.2 million. The contract includes a release clause stipulating a compensation worth two months of the coach s salary," said club chairman Mortada Mansour. The coaching job has been vacant in Zamalek since the sacking of coach Khaled Galal over a 1-0 loss to rivals Ahly in the Cairo Derby, and the loss of the Egyptian Premier League title. "I m very delighted to lead Zamalek. I have worked in coaching in the African continent since 2001. I always try to perform well and achieve positive results where I work," the new Zamalek coach told the press conference. "I will be assisted by two Serbian coaches, one of them is for the goalkeepers." "I will offer my best performance to Zamalek, and the players high quality will help me. With spirit, determination and commitment I can achieve everything. I would like to thank Orlando Pirates, but coaching Zamalek is a dream for anyone," he added. The Serbian coach won the Ugandan Premier League three times in 2002, 2003, and 2004 upon taking charge for Villa SC. This was before winning the Ethiopian League title four times while taking charge of Saint-George SA from 2005 to 2010. The former Rwanda and Uganda coach also won the Sudanese league title once in 2010 with Al-Hilal Omdurman. Under Micho s guidance, Orlando Pirates ended the domestic league in second place last season to ensure a place in the African Champions League; marking their first appearance since losing the final to Egypt s Ahly in 2013. Under temporary coach Tarek Yehia, Zamalek kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 7-0 hammering of Somalia s Dekedaha in the first leg of the preliminary round on Friday.

Zamalek have officially announced the signing of Serbian tactician Milutin Micho Sredojevic without disclosing the financial details before introducing the new coach in a press conference in the coming few days. "I started training in Africa since 19 years old, but now I can say my dream has come true when I took charge for Zamalek," Micho told a television programme after signing the contracts with Zamalek management. "I am impressed with Zamalek management seeing that the chairman loves victories, so I can say I am in the right place," "Zamalek have a brilliant squad including two of Tunisia s best players and three Moroccan players alongside the Egyptian stars. So it looks like I will have the tools of success," he added. "Now let s work to achieve Zamalek s goals," Micho won the Ugandan Premier League three times in 2002, 2003, and 2004 upon taking charge for Villa SC. This was before winning the Ethiopian League title four times while taking charge of Saint-George SA from 2005 to 2010. The former Rwanda and Uganda coach also won the Sudanese league title once in 2010 with Al-Hilal Omdurman. Under Micho s guidance, Orlando Pirates ended the domestic league at second place last season to ensure a place in the African Champions League; marking their first appearance since losing the final to Egypt s Ahly in 2013. The coaching job has been vacant in Zamalek since the sacking of former coach Khaled Galal over a 1-0 loss to rivals Ahly in the Cairo Derby, and the loss of the Egyptian Premier League title. Under temporary coach Tarek Yehia, Zamalek kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 7-0 hammering of Somalia s Dekedaha in the first leg of the preliminary round on Friday.

Ahly s hopes of completing a domestic double were ended by Pyramids FC, who dumped the illustrious Cairo club out of the Egypt Cup for the second successive season with a 1-0 win in the round of 16 on Saturday. In-form Burkinabe winger Eric Traore finished off a flowing three-man move to score what proved to be the winner ten minutes into the second period, with Ahly paying the price of failing to make their dominance count. The Red Devils bid to restore parity was also not helped by the dismissal of central defender Ayman Ashraf, who earned a second yellow card for fouling Traore on 71 minutes as Pyramids looked close to adding a second after launching repeated breakaways. Pyramids also eliminated Ahly from the Egypt Cup quarters with a similar 1-0 victory last season before defeating Africa s most successful club twice in the Egyptian Premier League. Ahly were crowned league champions for the fourth successive season last month but the Egypt Cup defeat will cast doubts over the future of Uruguayan coach Martin Lasarte, who remains unpopular with team s fans due to a series of uninspiring displays. Lasarte was given a vote of confidence by Ahly s board following a stunning 5-0 drubbing at the hands of South Africa s Mamelodi Sundowns in the African Champions League quarters in April. Pyramids finished third in the league last season after spending big to bolster their squad and new coach Sebastien Desabre said recently he is keen on delivering a first ever title for the club, which changed hands last month after Emirati investor Salem Al-Shamsi bought it from Saudi Turki Al-Sheikh. Wasteful Azaro Although goal-scoring chances were scarce, Ahly had the better of the first half and were unlucky not to go ahead on 33 minutes when Walid Azaro, who is often criticised for his wastefulness, missed a sitter. The Moroccan striker was found unmarked by a diagonal cross from playmaker Saleh Gomaa but poked the ball wide with his first touch with the goal at his mercy. Winger Ramadan Sobhi also had a fine effort when he cut inside his marker and sent a right-foot shot that was palmed away by keeper Ahmed El-Shennawi. At the other end, Pyramids could only create half-chances, including a curling free kick from ex-Ahly man Abdallah El-Said which narrowly missed the target. Pyramids improved after the break, with some neat combinations between new recruit Lumala Abdu and Traore unsettling Ahly s rearguard. They scored against the run of play from one such move in the 55th minute. El-Said s deft through pass released Abdu down the right and the Ugandan s low cross found the unmarked Traore for a simple finish. Ahly pressed hard for an equaliser despite Ashraf s red card and they came close 10 minutes from time when Azaro s goal-bound header was tipped over by keeper El-Mahdi Soliman, who replaced El-Shennawi after he was injured.

Champions League winners Liverpool won the Super Cup 5-4 on penalties against Chelsea after the game ended 2-2 following extra-time on Wednesday. With the first nine penalties all converted, Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham saw his effort blocked by the legs of Liverpool keeper Adrian to hand victory to Juergen Klopp s side. Chelsea went ahead in the 36th minute when N Golo Kante drove from midfield and found Christian Pulisic, who turned inside and delivered the perfect through ball for Olivier Giroud to confidently slot home. American Pulisic then beat Adrian with a fine shot after a swift run down the flank but the effort was ruled out for offside. Liverpool manager Klopp introduced Brazilian Roberto Firmino at the break and he had an instant impact, poking the ball past the advancing Kepa Arrizabalaga and Sadio Mane tapped into the unguarded goal to make it 1-1 in the 49th minute. Arrizabalaga then produced a superb double save in the 75th minute to deny Mohamed Salah s deflected low drive and the Spanish keeper did superbly to get back up and push Virgil van Dijk s follow up against the bar. With the teams level after 90 minutes the game went into extra-time, past midnight local time, and Liverpool struck after just five minutes with Mane driving home after an excellent exchange with Firmino. But six minutes later, Chelsea were back on level terms with a Jorginho penalty after Abraham was brought down in the box by Liverpool keeper Adrian, setting up the shoot-out.

Zamalek finalised an agreement with a foreign coach, said club president Mortada Mansour on Wednesday at a press conference. The coach s name would be revealed on Sunday, he added. "The new coach will arrive in Cairo next Sunday after the match against Dekedaha. We unanimously agreed on the assistant staff," Mansour said. The Zamalek chairman decided not to reveal the new coach s name, he said, because he didn t want competing clubs to establish contact with the new coach lest they try to talk him out of the Zamalek deal. The Whites ended second in the last season of the Egyptian Premier League, and won the African Football s Confederation Cup. Mansour sacked the club s Swiss coach Christian Gross, nevertheless, blaming him for losing the league title. After sacking Gross, Zamalek hired Khaled Galal to lead the team in the remaining matches in the local league, but he too was sacked after losing to Ahly in the league s last match. The White Knights chairman assigned Zamalek s former coach and player Tarek Yehia to be the new caretaker until the club signed with the new foreign coach. Yehia will lead Zamalek in their first game in the 64th round of the CAF Champions League against Dekedaha.