Ahram Online breaks down six key talking points from the round:
Early exits for two coaches
Two clubs parted ways with their managers after only five rounds of the campaign.
Ahly announced they had mutually terminated the contract of Portuguese coach José Riveiro following Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Pyramids FC.
The result left the defending champions with just one win from four games in what has been one of their poorest starts in decades.
NBE Club also dismissed coach Tarek Mostafa after a disappointing run that left the side 16th in the table with four points from five matches. Both sides have not named successors but it is expected in the next few hours.
Mahalla finally score
After opening the season with four consecutive goalless draws, Ghazl El Mahalla finally broke their drought with a 3-0 victory over Ismaily.
The Dervishes finished with nine men after two red cards, helping Mahalla secure their first win and goals of the season.
Mahalla climbed to seventh in the standings on seven points.
Their defensive resilience has been notable, with the team keeping five consecutive clean sheets.
El Karti shines
Pyramids FC’s Moroccan midfielder Walid El Karti delivered one of the standout performances of the round, scoring twice against champions Ahly.
He opened the scoring in the first half before sealing the win in the 68th minute to earn man-of-the-match honours.
The victory helped Pyramids recover from an inconsistent start, having won two games, drawn twice and lost once to Modern Sport.
They now sit fifth with eight points from five games.
Best goal tally of the season
The fifth round produced the highest goal total so far this season, with 19 goals scored across 10 matches — an average of 1.9 per game.
That marked an improvement on earlier rounds, which saw 15 goals in the first week and 18 in the second.
Only two fixtures ended goalless: Smouha against Gouna, and NBE Club’s draw with Talae El-Geish.
Red cards dominate headlines
Discipline continued to be an issue as referees showed seven red cards in the round.
Four were issued in the Zamalek versus Wadi Degla and Ismaily versus Ghazl El Mahalla games, while Smouha against Petrojet, Masry against Kahraba, and Arab Contractors against Ceramica Cleopatra each saw one dismissal.
Degla’s historic win
Wadi Degla secured a 2-1 win over Zamalek, their first victory against the Cairo club in league history.
The result ended a 24-match winless run against Zamalek, who had won 13 and drawn 11 of their previous meetings.
The defeat cost Zamalek top spot in the table, with Masry moving ahead on 11 points, one clear of the Whites.
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