Zamalek took a 1-0 lead against Al Ahly in the 131st Cairo Derby match during the first half.

The first half was exciting and intense from both teams, featuring two penalty kicks: the first awarded to Zamalek, from which Hossam Abdelmageed scored the leading goal in the 32nd minute, and the second awarded to Al Ahly but was canceled by Spanish referee Soto after video assistant referee (VAR) review.

Zamalek started strongly, missing two clear chances in the first 10 minutes; the first by Palestinian player Adi Al-Dabbagh, and the second by Nasser Maher. Al-Dabbagh’s shot was saved by Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy, while Maher’s shot went just wide.

Afterward, Al Ahly became the more dangerous side with several attempts on Zamalek goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi’s goal, most notably a shot by Trezeguet that was comfortably saved.

In the 26th minute, Al-Dabbagh took advantage of Al Ahly defender Yassin Mar’i’s slow reaction to the ball, forcing him to commit a foul and concede a penalty.

Abdullah Al-Saeed took the penalty but El-Shenawy saved it and the defense cleared it to a corner. However, the defender who cleared the ball had entered the penalty area before the shot, prompting the Spanish referee to order a retake, from which Hossam Abdelmageed scored the leading goal.

Zamalek then calmed down while Al Ahly became more active and earned a penalty against Bentayg for a handball, but after VAR review, the referee ruled no foul. Al Ahly maintained the upper hand in performance until the end of the first 45 minutes plus 10 minutes of added time.