Al-Ahly continue their march towards the top of the Egyptian League

Al-Ahly continued their climb to the top of the Egyptian Football League standings with a resounding 4-1 victory over Al-Ittihad of Alexandria. The match, which was postponed from the ninth round, took place at Cairo International Stadium.

The scoring for Al-Ahly began with a penalty kick converted by Palestinian Wissam Abu Ali in the 28th minute, followed by goals from Moroccan Reda Salim in the 32nd minute, Omar Kamal Abdel Wahed in the 42nd minute, and Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” in the 66th minute, also from a penalty kick. Al-Ittihad’s only goal came from Ghanaian Benjamin Boateng in the 58th minute.

With this victory, Al-Ahly’s point total rose to 30 from 14 matches, propelling them to seventh place. They still have seven postponed matches to play. Al-Ittihad Alexandria, on the other hand, remains in fifth place with 32 points from 21 matches.

Al-Ahly began the match strongly, with Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Mahdi Suleiman blocking Wissam Abu Ali’s shot in the eighth minute. Suleiman then saved Hussein Al-Shahat’s attempt from Imam Ashour’s long pass five minutes later.

In the 28th minute, Al-Ahly was awarded a penalty after Omar Kamal Abdel Wahed was fouled inside the box. Abu Ali stepped up and blasted the ball into the upper right corner, opening the scoring for the Red Team.

Just four minutes later, Reda Salim doubled Al-Ahly’s lead with a curling shot from outside the penalty area, assisted by Abu Ali.

Three minutes before halftime, Abdel Wahed added Al-Ahly’s third goal, receiving a pass from Marwan Attia and striking a powerful shot with his right foot that beat Suleiman, sending Al-Ahly into halftime with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

In an attempt to change the course of the match, Al-Ittihad coach Tariq Al-Ashry made four substitutions at once at the beginning of the second half. This move proved effective as substitute Benjamin Boateng scored for Al-Ittihad in the 58th minute, receiving a cross from Omar Al-Wahsh inside the penalty area.

However, Al-Ahly quickly reestablished their three-goal lead when substitute Karim Fouad was fouled in the penalty area in the 66th minute. Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba,” another substitute, stepped up and converted the penalty with a perfect shot.

Al-Ittihad ended the match with ten players after their Angolan player, Cristovao Mapololo, was shown a red card for a violent foul on Al-Ahly captain Rami Rabia in the final minute of regular time.
Al-Ittihad will be visiting Al Mokawloon Al Arab in Cairo on Saturday, while Al-Ahly will be facing Baladiyat El Mahalla in Mahalla on the same day, as part of the 22nd round of the Egyptian League. Following this, Al-Ahly will focus on their upcoming matches in the final round of the African Champions League against Espérance Sportive de Tunis. The first leg will be held on May 18 in Tunisia’s capital, and the second leg will take place on May 25 in Cairo.