Zamalek created the better opportunities and should have secured the win, as they were faster in every aspect and mostly suppressed theChiefs chances to score until visiting goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi mishandled a routine Solomons cross into his own net in the 96th minute.

This leaves AmaKhosi with just one point from their first two games in the tournament as they fight to qualify for the quarter-finals, while Zamalek have four points and group leaders Al Masry have six.

Only the top two teams advance to the knockout stages.

It took less than three minutes for Zamalek to open the scoring. Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen was caught off guard as he went for a corner and completely missed the ball.

The clearance was only partial by Inacio Miguel to Seifeddine Jaziri, who curled his shot into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Gaston Sirino almost responded with an impressive strike from the halfway line after spotting Zamalek goalkeeperSobhi slightly off his line, unleashing a powerful shot that beat the keeper but hit the post, giving the visitors some luck in maintaining their lead.

Chiefs lost both Sirino and defender Bradley Cross to injuries within the first 20 minutes, which hindered their efforts.

Zamalek found the net again within 10 minutes, but the goal was ruled out, somewhat fortunately for Chiefs.

Miguel, whose major mistake in the previous 2-1 defeat to Al Masry cost AmaKhosi a point, failed to clear his back-header properly to Petersen, allowing Jaziri to score.

However, the referees judged that the Tunisian international pushed Miguel during the contest for the ball. If contact occurred, it seemed minimal.

Chiefs were lucky five minutes after halftime when a scramble in the box sent the ball towards their goal, but Miguel cleared it off the line as Zamalek players closed in.

That moment was vital in keeping them competitive as Solomons created a rare error for Sobhi, whose weak cross inexplicably slipped through his hands.

Chiefs will not compete in the Confederation Cup again until after the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, when they travel to Zambian side ZESCO United but they still have two Betway Premiership matches left in 2025, both away from home.

They face bottom-placed Chippa United on Wednesday before visiting TS Galaxy on December 7.