Ahly could only secure a point away from home after playing out a goalless draw with Stade Malien in Bamako in the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday.

In an evenly-balanced match, both teams failed to carve out many clear-cut chances throughout the whole 90 minutes to end the game in a scoreless stalemate.

The match saw Ahly coach Fathi Mabrouk start with a conservative formation, having reverted to a three-man backline featuring Saad Samir, Mohamed Naguib and Sherif Hazem in an attempt to contain the hosts’ threat.

Ahly are now second of Group A with four points from two games, as Etoile lead the group with six points following their slender win over local rivals Esperance a day ago.

Few chances, both teams fail to score

Ahly were the side to show determination early on, and full-back Sabri Rahil came close to scoring when his strike from outside the area missed the target on 14 minutes.

But the miss of the half, and maybe the match, belonged to striker Amr Gamal who failed to score Moemen Zakareya’s low cross from the right with the goal gaping five minutes from half time.

The hosts' reply then came eight minutes after the break, with forward Mamadou Cisse squandering another gilt-edged chance after hitting the post with the goal at his mercy.

With the Malian side looking to have gained some confidence, midfielder Abdoulaye Sissoko struck a powerful shot from distance but his effort went wide.

The Reds, however, were at the risk of losing the mere point in stoppage time, when midfielder Sidi Coulibaly’s header was thwarted by keeper Sherif Ekramy to keep a clean sheet.

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