Moroccan players Mahmoud Bentayg and Achraf Bencherki dominated the sports scene in Egypt following their standout performances in the Cairo derby, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Bencherki opened the scoring for Al Ahly before Bentayg equalized for Zamalek.
Bentayg, named Man of the Match in the Cairo derby, has fueled speculation about his future, as reported by several Egyptian media outlets. Some suggest he could leave Zamalek to join their rival, Al Ahly, while others claim he will remain at the club, which has the option to trigger a purchase clause. Among them, the Sada El-Balad channel reported that Bentayg has signed a contract with Zamalek, which plans to activate the purchase option for a fee of one million dollars at the end of the season.
For his part, Bencherki sparked mixed reactions by choosing not to celebrate his goal against his former club, Zamalek. While Zamalek supporters and most sports analysts praised his gesture, several Egyptian journalists blamed Al Ahly’s conceded goal on goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy. However, former Al Ahly sporting director Sayed Abdel Hafeez singled out Bencherki, arguing that his positioning was inadequate and left too much space for Zamalek’s players to initiate the attacking move that led to the goal.
This analysis was contested by former Egyptian football star Nader El-Sayed, who refused to blame a single player, stating that the entire defensive line was responsible. He also praised Moroccan defender Sallah Moussaddaq, who featured for Zamalek in this encounter and delivered a solid performance.
