Preview: All eyes on Tau as Ahly seek to maintain strong start

Ahram Online , Saturday 30 Oct 2021

All eyes will be on Percy Tau after the South African forward dazzled on his debut as Ahly meet usual stubborn opponents NBE club in the Egyptian Premier League on Sunday.

Percy Tau
Percy Tau scored twice on his debut against Ismaily (Photo: Ahly s official Facebook page)

Tau shone on his first Ahly appearance after joining from English Premier League side Brighton, with his two superbly-taken goals giving the team an impressive 4-0 victory over foes Ismaily last week as they made a whirlwind start to the season.

Another new recruit, Mozambican winger Luis Miquissone, was also convincing on his second appearance while Ahmed Abdel-Kader, back from a loan spell at Smouha, made a fine impact off the bench after completing the rout late on.

Coach Pitso Mosimane will be delighted with the new options he has upfront after Ahly's lack of quality in the final third cost them a sixth straight league title last season, which perennial Cairo rivals Zamalek won.

"We got to see how the new players will blend into the team. Tau, Miquissone, Abdelkader, and all the rest of the team put on a good performance tonight," assistant coach Sami Komsan said on Ahly's official website following the win over Ismaily.

"We still have a long road to go. We expect a tough competition as we will be overwhelmed with games, aside from the fact that all teams will be motivated to win."

NBE always prove a tough nut to crack, which was evident last season as they held Ahly to two draws, including one in July which proved costly in the title race. They kicked off their new campaign in superb fashion, crushing Talae El-Geish 3-0 last week.

Ahly will still have to do without first-choice goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawi, who has recovered from a hamstring injury but is still short on match fitness.

They will also miss burly Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng, who was sent off for a second bookable offence against Ismaily.

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