Chances were few and far between in a tactical affair which was barely entertaining to the enthusiastic crowd at Cairo Stadium.

Ahli's Mohamed Abou-Treika and Zamalek's Shikabala shouldered their clubs' hopes of claiming all three points but neither was able to live up to expectations.

Ahli, who haven't tasted defeat against Zamalek since 2007, are likely to dispense with interim coach Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Shafi 'Zizo, with Portuguese Manuel Jose favorite to take over for a third stint at the helm of Egypt's most successful club.

Zamalek might be disappointed at failing to make the most of Ahli's current poor run but they can take heart from a comfortable lead over the Red Devils as they seek to win their first league title since 2004.

The winter champions have 31 points from 14 games, five ahead of Ismaili and ENPPI, who lie second and third respectively. Ahli are fourth on 25 points.

Ahli and Zamalek were cautious in the first half, defending in numbers to close down spaces.

Zamalek surprisingly played without a recognized striker as coach Hossam Hassan seemingly favored a free-flowing football through the introduction of pacey attacking midfielders Shikabala, Hazem Emam and Mohamed Ibrahim.

But they hardly made an impact, thanks in part to a muddy pitch and Zamalek's needless reliance on long balls which kept Ahli's defenders comfortable throughout the first period.

Zamalek's sole chance fell to Emam after just four minutes when he broke clear after latching onto a defense-splitting pass but he dithered on the ball to allow Ahli's Wael Gomaa to clear the danger.

Ahli looked more compact but could not also threaten Zamalek keeper Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed.

Mohamed Talaat played as a lone frontman and his energetic performance kept Zamalek defenders on their toes but he was guilty of spurning a golden opportunity just before the break.

He was found unmarked by a neat long pass from Mohamed Abou-Treika but his poor attempt to control the ball let Al-Sayed gather it easily.

Hassan introduced towering striker Ahmed Gaafar instead of Emam in the second half but he had a quiet game as Ahli took control.

Ahli had the better possession and tried their luck from distance on a couple of occasions but never looked like scoring as the disappointing match ended goalless.