Mostafa Sayed struck the winner a minute before the halftime break as Zamalek SC beat Kenya Police FC 1-0 in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday.The result leaves the Mozzart Bet Cup winners with a mountain to climb ahead of next week’s second leg in Egypt.Police will have themselves to blame for allowing the visitors to dominate possession from the onset and dictate play. They will now need to devise a new plan if they hope to reach the group stages of the competition.##NAJAVA_MECA_8333862##Zamalek controlled the match from the outset and threatened early in the third minute when Ahmed Mostafa won a foul, though the subsequent free kick was poorly executed.Five minutes later, Zamalek missed a clear chance when Ahmed’s shot was comfortably saved by Patrick Matasi.The Egyptian giants, now settled and dictating play, kept pressing and thought they had a breakthrough when Naser Abed beat his markers to set up Nahil Aly Elmahdy, only to be flagged for offside.Police, looking overwhelmed in the scorching Nyayo sun, were fortunate not to concede in the 11th minute after a quick exchange between the White Knights attackers but their efforts were stopped by the experienced Musa Mohammed.In the 12th minute, South Sudanese international Charles Ouma was booked for a dangerous foul on Zamalek’s Seifeddine Jaziri.##NAJAVA_MECA_8333898##Twelve minutes later, Jaffary Owiti had a golden opportunity to put Police ahead, but his shot in a one-on-one situation with Zamalek goalkeeper Mohammed Daader went wide off the goal.Police, now gaining a foothold in the match, continued their attacks. Rashid Toha came close to breaking the deadlock in the 32nd minute, but his header from Francis Kahata’s free-kick narrowly missed the target.A minute later, a scramble in Police’s penalty area ended with Kahata’s final ball missing the mark.Police grew more confident as the game progressed, forcing Zamalek’s defense to work harder.Seven minutes later, a dangerous counterattack from the left wing created chaos in front of Zamalek’s goal, but Police attackers were slow to react, allowing Zamalek’s defense to clear the danger.Lucky punter breaks Mozzart Bet history by winning 6 bets in 1-day worth Ksh 109.2 millionIn the 43rd minute, Omar’s cross found David Okoth, who squared the ball to Jesse Were, but Were’s finish lacked precision, sending the pass wide.With a minute left in the half, Omar was booked for a foul on Mostafa Sayed, who quickly restarted play and set up Abdalla Mohammad at the edge of the box. Mohammad fired a shot past Patrick Matasi into the far-right corner.The first half concluded shortly after, with the referee signalling for halftime.Japanese Yuto Kusaba on target as Bidco stretch winless start against City StarsImmediately after the restart, both teams responded with substitutions. Police head coach Anthony Kimani introduced Alvin Mangeni and Tyson Otieno for Owiti and Ouma.Zamalek continued their strong start in the second half, controlling possession and limiting Police’s clear-cut chances.Just like in the first half, Police gradually found their rhythm, with Mangeni bringing new energy to the team.He nearly equalized in the 62nd minute, but his cutback was expertly cleared to safety.In the 65th minute, Mostafa—who had been a constant threat to Police all afternoon—was booked for a foul on Tyson Otieno. However, the resulting free-kick went wide.Five minutes later, a clearance by Zamalek’s goalkeeper fell to Mangeni, but his indecision with the ball allowed Zamalek to win it back.In the 71st minute, Jesse Were won the ball inside the penalty area but chose to shoot instead of passing to his multiple options. His weak effort barely troubled the Zamalek keeper.##NAJAVA_MECA_8333912##Kahata’s shot from the edge of the box caused some concern for the defenders but was easily collected by Daader a minute later.Shortly after, Nabil Aly was booked for a foul on Jesse Were.The resulting free kick, taken by Aboud Omar—arguably Police’s best player on the field—was calmly gathered by the Zamalek goalkeeper.Both coaches made late substitutions, with Zamalek bringing on defensive players to protect their lead.Despite Police’s late efforts, they could not find a breakthrough, and the referee blew the final whistle, confirming a challenging trip to the North for the Law Enforcers.
