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Al Ahly Overcome Al Masry and Top the League — For Now

Al Ahly temporarily climbed to the top of the Egyptian Premier League table after a 4-2 victory over visitors Al Masry in the fifth round of the Championship Phase at Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria.

The Red Devils’ goals came courtesy of Emam Ashour (35’, 79’ pen), Taher Mohamed Taher (45+3’), and Palestinian striker Wissam Abu Ali (58’), while Salah Mohsen (6’) and Tunisian Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (81’) scored for the Port Said-based side.

Al Ahly raised their tally to 49 points, two ahead of Pyramids, who have a chance to reclaim the lead when they face National Bank of Egypt today (Friday). Al Masry remain on 35 points in fourth place.

Match Highlights

Al Masry capitalized on their early momentum, opening the scoring in the 6th minute. Hussein Faisal delivered a cross to Karim El-Iraqi, who set up Salah Mohsen for a pinpoint header that beat keeper Mohamed El Shenawy.

Al Ahly gradually imposed control through a midfield trio of Emam Ashour, Moroccan Ashraf Bencharki, and Wissam Abu Ali. Their efforts paid off when Abu Ali fed Ashour a low pass, which he blasted into the net for the equalizer in the 35th minute.

Just before halftime, Mohamed Hany sent in a fine cross that Abu Ali headed home, only for VAR to rule it out for offside on Bencharki, who was involved in the build-up.

But in the third minute of stoppage time, Bencharki laid the ball off to Ahmed Nabil “Koka,” whose cross was mishandled by goalkeeper Mahmoud Gad. The ball fell kindly to Taher Mohamed Taher, who slotted it in to give Al Ahly a 2-1 lead at the break.

In the second half, Abu Ali extended the lead with a sublime free kick from outside the area in the 58th minute.

Al Ahly manager Emad El-Nahhas brought on Akram Tawfik for Amr El-Sulaya in the 63rd minute. Jad then made a brilliant save to deny Bencharki in the 70th minute, but was later beaten from the penalty spot by Ashour after Baher El-Mohamady brought him down — making it 4-1 and taking Ashour’s personal tally to 11 goals, topping the scoring charts ahead of Zamalek’s Nasser Mansi and Bank of Egypt’s Osama Faisal.

Following a triple substitution — Hussein El Shahat, Magdy “Afsha” and Serbian Nejc Gradisar coming on for Taher, Bencharki and Abu Ali — Al Masry pulled one back. Karim “Bambo” delivered a cross that Fakhreddine Ben Youssef met with a powerful header past El Shenawy.

El Shenawy was called into action again in the 87th minute, pulling off a double save — first parrying Bambo’s thunderous strike for a corner, then reacting sharply to deny Mahmoud Hamada from scoring.

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