Ahly held to 1-1 draw by Pharco FC in Egyptian League

Ahmed Ghandour , Wednesday 22 Jan 2025

Defending champions Ahly were held to a 1-1 draw by Pharco FC in the 9th matchday of the Egyptian Premier League at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadiumon Wednesday.

Ahly
Ahly's midfielder Hussein El Shahat in action during the match with Pharco. Photo courtesy of Ahly Facebook page.

 

Moroccan winger Zouhair El-Moutaraji opened the scoring for Pharco in the 22nd minute, while Emam Ashour equalized for Ahly in the first-half injury time.

The Cairo giants dominated possession from the outset, but their lack of a clinical striker limited their attacking threat. Pharco’s organized defence further frustrated Ahly's efforts.

Despite Ahly’s attempts to break through, Pharco relied on counterattacks to create opportunities.

Their approach paid off in the 22nd minute when El-Moutaraji connected with Azmi Ghouma’s cross, unleashing a powerful right-footed strike from outside the area that nestled in the bottom right corner past goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy.

Ahly intensified their pressure and controlled the game, but their front line struggled to convert dominance into clear chances.

Five minutes into added time, defender Omar Kamal was fouled in the penalty area, leading to a penalty after a VAR review.

In-form midfielder Emam Ashour stepped up and calmly slotted the ball into the centre of the net, levelling the score for Ahly.

Ahly maintained their attacking momentum in the second half but failed to threaten Pharco’s goal with real intent.

Meanwhile, Pharco continued to rely on counterattacks, which remained a consistent danger.

Ahly coach Marcel Koller made a triple substitution six minutes past the hour mark, introducing Mohamed ‘Afsha’ Magdi, Mohamed Abdallah, and Samir Mohamed in place of Omar El-Saaiy, Karim El-Debis, and Akram Tawfik, respectively.

However, the changes did little to shift the dynamic of the game.

Ahly came close to taking the lead late on, but Pharco posed the greater threat and were unlucky not to capitalize on their counterattacks.

The result keeps Ahly at the top of the league standings with 19 points, while Pharco climb to 9th place with 11 points.

Ahly will host Pyramids FC on Sunday in the next round, while Pharco will face Talae El-Geish on the same day.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)

Short link: