Ahly s Magdi Afsha (2nd left) celebrates with his teammates after scoring in a 4-1 win over Pharco (Ahram)
Pharco pressed their illustrious opponents high up the pitch from the outset and they were ruthlessly punished by Ahly.
Ahly went 3-0 up after 13 minutes following a frantic opening, thanks to Afsha's double and an early opener from striker Mohamed Sherif, who has been crticised recently after some uninspiring displays.
Pharco's Ahmed El-Saghiri pulled one back shortly after but Ahly remained firmly in control and substitute Hussein El-Shahat ensured the win with three minutes remaining.
The Cairo giants, who also crushed Maqassa 4-0 in their previous game, lie on top of the table on 25 points, two ahead of second-placed Pyramids FC before both sides meet in an anticipated clash next week.
Top-flight debutants Pharco are seventh with 15 points from 11 matches.
Ahly needed five minutes to open the scoring, Sherif collecting a cross from Ahmed Abdel-Kader to turn and wrong-foot the keeper with a low shot from inside the area.
Afsha made it 2-0 three minutes later when he raced clear from almost the halfway line after breaking the offside trap, running onto a long ball from defender Rami Rabia before firing an angled shot into the far corner off keeper Mohamed Sobhi's leg.
He scored again in the 13rd minute, tapping in into an empty net at the far post after Sherif miscued a low cross as Sobhi was caught in no man's land.
Pharco narrowed the gap on 17 minutes when Ahly keeper Mohamed El-Shennawi could only parry a tame shot from Kingsley Sokari into the path of the onrushing El-Saghiri, who reacted quickest to the rebound to fire home.
Amr El-Sulaya wasted a glorious chance to restore Ahly's three-goal advantage six minutes before the break when he superbly controlled a long pass in the area, only to curl the ball just wide of the post.
Ahly squandered several more chances in the second half, with substitute Percy Tau the main culprit with two efforts, including a one-on-one situation when he somehow failed to kick the ball with the goal at his mercy.
However, El-Shahat completed the rout with a deflected shot late on as Ahly claimed a thoroughly deserved win.
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