Another Stumble for Al Ahly in the Egyptian League

For the second consecutive match, Al Ahly stumbled, drawing 0-0 with hosts National Bank SC on Sunday at Al Salam Stadium in Cairo as part of the fourth round of the Egyptian Premier League. The rest of the matches that followed featured just one goal across three games.

Al Ahly entered the match following another disappointing draw in the previous round against Al Ittihad Alexandria (1-1), raising their tally to eight points, maintaining their position at the top of the table, while National Bank SC earned only their second point this season.

Al Ahly played the match missing several key players, including goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, who was rested, Palestinian forward Wissam Abu Ali, who was injured, winger Taher Mohamed Taher, who was suspended, and playmaker Imam Ashour, who was sidelined due to a disciplinary decision by the coaching staff.

Contrary to expectations, the first threatening chances came from National Bank SC. In the second minute, Togolese striker Yaw Annor unleashed a powerful shot that Al Ahly’s goalkeeper, Mostafa Shobeir, saved brilliantly.

In the fifth minute, Annor combined with Ahmed Yasser Rayan and found himself one-on-one with Shobeir, who once again made an impressive save.

Fifteen minutes in, Annor missed the best chance of the game for National Bank SC after a counter-attack following an Al Ahly corner. Ahmed Nabil “Kouka” miscleared the ball, allowing Annor to go one-on-one with Shobeir, but he shot wide.

Al Ahly’s first chance came in the 25th minute when Mohamed Magdy “Afsha” sent a through ball to Hussein El Shahat, who found himself alone against goalkeeper Abdel Aziz Al Belhouti, only to be denied by the latter’s quick reflexes.

Yasser Ibrahim missed a chance to give Al Ahly the lead in the 35th minute, heading a corner from Moroccan Yahya Attiat Allah just wide of the right post.

Annor missed another chance for National Bank SC in the 43rd minute after receiving a pass from Mohamed Ibrahim, but Shobeir was once again up to the task, pushing the ball out for a corner. The first half ended goalless.

The second half lacked real opportunities until the final 15 minutes. Rami Rabia thought he had given Al Ahly the lead, but VAR intervened and disallowed the goal for a foul on Rabia before the ball went in.

Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” missed Al Ahly’s best chance in the 86th minute when Afsha set him up in the box, but his shot was met by Al Belhouti, who turned it away for a corner.

In stoppage time, young substitute Samir Mohamed nearly snatched victory for Al Ahly with a header from Omar Kamal’s cross, but it narrowly missed the target, ending the match in a disappointing goalless draw for the defending champions.

This round has been disappointing in terms of goals, especially after Sunday’s games. The round finishes today with three matches, with focus on the match between Al Masry and Pyramids FC, as the winner will seize the lead due to Al Ahly’s slip-up, who currently lead them by just one point.

Zamalek also has a chance to top the table if Al Masry and Pyramids draw, provided they beat Ghazl El Mahalla, as they are currently two points behind the leaders.

Fourth Round Results and Fixtures:

• Saturday:

Zed FC 2 – 0 Haras El Hodood

Ceramica Cleopatra 4 – 1 Modern Sport

Al Ittihad 0 – 1 Tala’ea El Gaish

• Sunday:

National Bank SC 0 – 0 Al Ahly

Smouha 0 – 0 El Gouna

ENPPI 1 – 0 Ismaily

• Monday:

Al Masry vs. Pyramids

Petrojet vs. Pharco

Ghazl El Mahalla vs. Zamalek