Zamalek Club has returned to scoring in the CAF Champions League, as Mohamed Shahata netted the first goal for the White Knights against AS Port of Djibouti during their ongoing match in the first leg of the competition's preliminary round.
Shahata's goal came in the sixth minute of the match, capitalizing on a cross from his Angolan teammate Chico Banza, to find the back of the Djiboutian champions' net and mark Zamalek's return to scoring in the continental tournament after a long absence.
The last goal Zamalek scored in the CAF Champions League before Mohamed Shahata's strike was by Nasser Mansi during their match against Sudan's Al-Merrikh on March 31, 2023, in the sixth and final round of the group stage.
That match witnessed Nasser Mansi completing a hat-trick; he scored Zamalek's second goal in the fourth minute, then equalized in the 64th minute, before sealing the White Knights' quartet with a decisive goal in stoppage time, leading Zamalek to a 4-3 victory over Al-Merrikh.
Since Mansi's goal against Al-Merrikh, Zamalek had been absent from participating in the CAF Champions League, before returning to the competition in the 2026-2027 season following their Egyptian Premier League title win last season.
With Mohamed Shahata's goal against AS Port, the gap between Zamalek's last goals in the Champions League and their return to scoring in the competition stands at 1,253 days, marking the beginning of a new journey for the White Knights in the tournament they missed over the past three years.
Zamalek's return to the Champions League was not the only highlight; Shahata's goal carried special significance as he became the first White Knights player to score in the tournament since Nasser Mansi, who concluded Zamalek's last appearance in the Champions League with his fourth goal against Al-Merrikh in March 2023.
Zamalek is participating in the current edition of the CAF Champions League after a three-year absence, kicking off their campaign against AS Port, the Djiboutian champions, in the first preliminary round, with the return leg scheduled for September 12.
