Ahly beat Dakhleya 2-0 in the Egyptian Premier League on Friday (Ahram)
Ahly march on
Holders Ahly look invincible, having chalked up a fifth consecutive win at the expense of Dakhleya to continue their steady climb up the table as they play their rescheduled matches.
The Red Devils have not looked back since an opening 1-1 draw with Talae El-Geish, securing straight wins for an impressive unbeaten league run that dates back to May 2016 when they lost 1-0 to Wadi Degla.
They found no difficulty brushing aside Dakhleya with a 2-0 win, with the 11th-placed side offering little resistance throughout the match.
Moroccan striker Walid Azaro opened the scoring after 16 minutes with a simple finish after a pass from playmaker Abdallah El-Said before central defender Saad Samir made sure of the win four minutes from time with a close-range effort after he beat the offside trap.
Ahly moved fourth with 16 points, seven behind leaders Ismaily who played four matches more.
Stunning goal
Tanta scored a last-gasp equaliser to force a 1-1 draw with Ittihad of Alexandria, with the goal coming via a speculator effort.
Ramadan Rabie netted a goal of the season contender six minutes into stoppage time to secure a share of spoils in dramatic fashion.
After a flick from a teammate on the edge of the area, Rabie swiveled and sent a dipping, angled volley into the far top corner with his right foot to break Ittihad's hearts.
Wadi Degla comeback
Struggling outfit Wadi Degla staged a late comeback to earn a 3-3 draw with Ragaa in an exciting game between two bottom sides, giving coach Mido a reprieve.
Reports suggest former Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma, Marseille and Ajax striker Mido could be sacked after a string of poor results left Degla third from bottom in the 18-team table.
They looked close to suffering their fourth loss in 10 matches when Ragaa went two up in the first half, thanks to goals from Nasr Ramadan and Moemen Ibrahim.
Ahmed El-Shennawi pulled one back for Degla on 70 minutes but defender Ahmed Ouka restored Ragaa's two-goal cushion seven minutes later.
Veteran winger Hussein Yasser, a former player of Cairo giants Ahly and Zamalek, narrowed the gap again in the 79th minute and Burkinabe forward Issouf Ouattara scored the decisive equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Ragaa are still at the bottom with only two points from 10 matches, six behind Degla and eight adrift of safety.
Quick recovery
A resurgent Ismaily, whose fortunes were turned around following the arrival of French coach Sebastien Desabre in the summer, quickly recovered from their 2-0 loss to Ahly in their previous match.
They scored an early goal to beat tough opponents Smouha 1-0 and stay on top of the table as they chase their first league title since winning the last of their two accolades in 2002.
Winger Karim Bambo netted what proved to be the winner after nine minutes, hitting a low shot home from inside the area after shaking off his marker.
Ismaily lost to main challengers Ahly last week after being forced to make two unscripted substitutions, with regular striker Diego Calderon and in-form central defender Ahmed Metwalli picking up injuries.
Third straight win for Masry
Masry, managed by Egypt's all-time top scorer Hossam Hassan, also continued their superb run, securing their third win in a row after losing 2-1 to Ismaily last month.
The Port Said-based club scored twice in the first 20 minutes to defeat promoted Assiouti Sport 2-1 and remain second in the table, just one point behind Ismaily.
Winger Ahmed Shoukri converted a penalty after five minutes to put them ahead and defender Islam Abou Selima headed home on 19 minutes for his fourth goal of the season.
Masry fended off an attempted fight back from their unfancied opponents to bag all three points and maintain their impressive run of results.
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