Zamalek claimed their first Egyptian Premier League title in 11 years without kicking a ball on Tuesday after nearest challengers Ahly were held to a 1-1 draw by Smouha, ending a long wait for an elusive crown.
Zamalek have an unassailable five-point lead over Ahly with one match remaining for the latter.
Ahly needed to win their remaining two games and hope Zamalek lose theirs to cause a huge and unthinkable upset.
However, they trailed to an own goal by right-back Mohamed Hani against Smouha five minutes after the interval before Abdallah El-Saied brought Ahly level with a 83rd-minute penalty, which was too little, too late.
Here is the new Egyptian League Champions Shield
Zamalek, who collected a record 83 points from 36 matches, will celebrate the title when they face Talae El-Geish on Wednesday, albeit behind closed doors due to lingering security concerns.
The long-awaited triumph came following the longest Egyptian league season since the competition was inaugurated in 1984. It was halted for more than a month following a football disaster on 8 February when 21 of Zamalek’s supporters died in a stampede after being tear-gassed by security forces before a game against ENPPI.
Here is what Egyptian football starts tweeted
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