Zamalek needed two late goals from defender Mahmoud Fathallah and youngster Mostafa Fathi to edge out a resilient Police Union side 4-3 in an enthralling league affair and secure a place in the final phase.
Zamalek, who had no option but to win the game to save their faltering league season, were one goal down after just 15 minutes when defender Ahmed Dweidar converted a spot kick home after Fathallah was adjudged to have tugged an opponent inside the box.
But Zamalek were level six minutes later through midfielder Moemen Zakareya who found the net from point blank range, before Fathallah put his side ahead through another penalty on 41 minutes
With Zamalek mainly dominating the game, the Cairo giants looked set for victory, only for veteran keeper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed to cost his side a goal following a horrific blunder from the Egypt international.
Abdel-Wahed ran out of goal to meet the clear-on-goal Khaled Kamar, who then managed to deny the keeper the ball before slotting home from a tight angle to bring his side back into the game.
With time running out and the Whites in dire need for a goal to go through to the four-team mini league phase, they were eventually handed a life line through Fathallah, whose glancing header from Mohamed Ibrahim’s diagonal cross sent the bench into bedlam with only five minutes left.
Youngster Fathi then came to put the game to bed two minutes from regular time when he curled a sublime left-footed volley.
But it wasn’t the end of the games’ goals though.
Keeper Abdel-Wahed, who broke down in tears after Fathalla’s late goal, had to concede yet another time when Mohamed Maged beat Zamalek’s defence to break clear and slide home past the guardian.
Zamalek now qualify for the four-team mini-league phase alongside Petrojet from Group B after the latter held Ismaily to a 1-1 draw.
