Starman Shikabala scored the only goal of the game one minute before the hour mark.

The match, described as a rehearsal to the season restart by Egyptian FA chief Samir Zaher, went on safely amid security fears, following the unrest in the country.

Zamalek’s below-par performance was overshadowed by the impressive presence of fans in the stands, inspired by the White Knights ultras contingent.

Nationalistic songs and patriotic banners dominated the scene at the Military Academy Stadium, with players wearing black armbands in mourning of those who lost their lives in the recent revolution.

The one-way traffic saw Zamalek dictate play for long spells of the game, wasting several chances in the process.

An organized counter-attack move saw substitute Mohamed Ibrahim send a through ball to the unmarked Shikabala, who did what he does best after 59 minutes.

The influential number 10 cut inside Ulinzi’s penalty area before dispatching an unstoppable finish into the roof of the net for the winner.

Amr Zaki made a long-awaited comeback from injury after coming on as a second-half substitute to replace the ineffectual Hussein Yasser.

Zaki almost doubled Zamalek’s lead with a close-range header, but his effort was parried by the Ulinzi keeper.