Ahly and Smouha remain on course to reach the final phase of the Egyptian Premier League after playing out a drab 1-1 draw on Saturday, with the title holders unable to impress in their first match under caretaker coach Fathi Mabrouk.

Alexandria-based club Smouha, the surprise package of Group A, took a first-half lead in Cairo when Egyptian international playmaker Ahmed Hammoudi made the most of a defensive error to score on the rebound.

Ahly, looking toothless, struggled to threaten the visitors but were thankful to a trademark shot from Abdallah El-Said which helped them secure a share of spoils in the 72^nd minute.

El-Said was also Ahly’s hero in the reverse fixture back in January, with his brace giving the Red Devils a 2-0 victory over Smouha. Both sides are favourites to finish in the top two and earn a place in the final four-team mini-league.

Smouha are on top with 33 points, three ahead of Ahly, who have a game in hand, with three matches remaining. Ittihad of Alexandria lie third on 30 points.

Mabrouk took over at Ahly on a short-term deal following the resignation of Mohamed Youssef after some lackluster displays. However, he made minimal changes in the team's starting line-up.

In a dour first half, Ahly came closest to scoring after six minutes when a curling shot by midfielder Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ went just wide after six minutes.

Smouha, who launched some swift counter attacks, broke the deadlock nine minutes before the break when the under pressure Trezeguet gave away possession on the edge of his own penalty area, allowing Hammoudi to gather the ball and feed Hani El-Egeizi, an ex-Ahly striker.

El-Egeizi left central defender Mohamed Naguib on the ground with a clever feint but his low shot was blocked by keeper Sherif Ekramy. Hammoudi reacted quickest to stab home the rebound and give Smouha the lead.

Ahly pushed forward in the second half but they still found it difficult to carve out openings; they were only able to create a couple of half-chances.

However, El-Said managed to restore parity when his right-foot shot from the edge of the area bounced in front of Smouha keeper and looped over his head and into the net.

El-Egeizi was unlucky to see a curling free-kick strike the woodwork in the dying minutes as both sides eventually settled for a draw.

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