Ahly midfielder Emam Ashour celebrates after scoring against Pharco FC. Photo: Ahly facebook page.
Gaber Kamel scored in the 35th minute for Pharco FC, but it was no more than a consolation goal for the relegation-threatened side.
The defending champions are now fourth with 36 points after 16 games, 20 points behind leaders Pyramids, who have played seven more games.
Coach Marcel Koller made several changes to his team, including restoring keeper Mohamed El Shennawy for the first time since recovering from a shoulder injury sustained during the Africa Cup of Nations four months ago.
Ahly started the match with early pressure but had to wait until the 30th minute when Frenchman Anthony Modeste was awarded a penalty after a VAR check. Ashour successfully converted the penalty in the 34th minute to give the Red Devils a well-deserved lead.
Five minutes later, Gaber Kamel broke the offside trap and latched onto a long pass from Shoukry Naguib to beat El Shennawy from inside the box and grab the equalizer.
The Red Devils were back on the front foot, and seconds before the break, Ashour unleashed a thunderbolt into the top of the net to restore his team’s lead deep in injury time.
After the break, Aliou Dieng and Ahmed Abdel-Kader were introduced to give Ahly an attacking edge.
The defending champions extended their domination and could have increased their lead, but Modeste squandered three clear-cut chances to secure the full points of the game.
Ahly will play Ittihad of Alexandria on Tuesday.
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