Ahmed Sherif, the Zamalek SC forward, scored after 40 seconds against APR, giving the White Knights a 1-0 win and a place in the CAF Champions League group stage (2-0 on aggregate).
At the Cairo International Stadium, Zamalek SC beat Rwanda’s Armée Patriotique Rwandaise FC 1-0 to qualify for the CAF Champions League group stage, according to Ahraminfo. The only goal of the match came from Ahmed Sherif, after just 40 seconds.
Following their 1-0 win in Kigali in the first leg, the Egyptian club progress 2-0 on aggregate. They are back in the group stage of Africa’s premier club competition for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.
A goal after 40 seconds
From a ball by Zamalek right-back Omar Gaber, Ahmed Sherif pushed the ball into the net after 40 seconds of play, according to Ahraminfo. The score did not change until the final whistle.
That success is the fourth 1-0 win recorded by the White Knights since the start of the season, according to the same source.
Sherif on a run
For Ahmed Sherif, it is a second consecutive goal: he had already scored in the previous outing against Petrol Assiout. The Cairo-born forward now has six direct contributions this season, with four goals and two assists in nine appearances.
Zamalek were without several notable defensive players, including Mohamed Rabie, Moroccan left-back Mahmoud Bentayg and Ahmed Ismaïl, according to the same source. The club therefore had to secure this ticket without several of their defenders.
A ticket sealed in two stages
The ticket for the group stage was partly won in Rwanda. In Kigali, Nasser Mansi had delivered Zamalek in the 90th minute, for a 1-0 win that weighed heavily in the tie.
On the opposing bench, APR’s Moroccan coach Abderrahim Talib faced Zamalek seven years after crossing paths with them in 2019, when he was in charge of Ittihad Tanger.
The CAF Champions League group-stage draw is scheduled for 28 October 2026 in Cairo, according to Ahraminfo. The first matchday is set for between 27 and 29 November 2026.