Against all odds, the Whites relinquished a one-goal lead to lose the title to their Cairo rivals, failing to end a three-year drought.

“I’ve won many titles and I’ve lost ones too during my career, but I never felt so distressed like this time,” Hassan told Zamalek’s website.

“I really wanted to make the Zamalek fans happy after they had supported us throughout the competition, but I think we were very unlucky.

“The positive thing is that the fans were not so angry with the players and the manager.”

Hassan, one of Egypt's most decorated footballers, has never won the the domestic cup during his previous spells at Ismaili and Ahli.