Ahly now sit second with 22 points, one behind leaders Ceramica Cleopatra, who defeated Ismaily 1-0 earlier on Sunday.
Petrojet’s Palestinian defender Hamed Hemdan opened the scoring after just 11 minutes, capitalizing on a mistimed jump from Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy to head into an empty net.
Ahly tried to respond, but their shy efforts were easily contained by the hosts' organized defense.
The defending champions had to wait until the 43rd minute to create their first real chance, when Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan’s shot was slightly deflected by a Petrojet defender and struck the woodwork.
Aside from Petrojet’s goal and Trezeguet's chance, the first half was uneventful, with the match seeing five yellow cards (four for Petrojet and one for Ahly).
The second half saw an improved performance from Ahly, who threatened their opponents early on.
Taher Mohamed’s close-range shot was denied by the keeper, and Trezeguet’s header from a similar position went wide.
In the 57th minute, Ahly coach Jess Thorup introduced Slovenian striker Nejc Gradisar in place of Taher Mohamed.
The substitution paid off three minutes later, as Gradisar netted the equalizer.
He met a header from Tunisian midfielder Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane at the far post and easily nodded into an empty net.
After the goal, Ahly maintained pressure, winning several set pieces that posed a real threat to the hosts.
Yassin Marei’s header from a corner was saved by the Petrojet keeper, while Gradisar failed to score a close-range winner.
Despite Thorup’s attempts to change the game by introducing Ahmed Abdel-Qader and Mohamed ‘Afsha’ Magdy, the pair couldn’t make an impact, marking a difficult first outing for the new coach.
Substitute winger Abdoulaye Diabate had a last-gasp opportunity to snatch a winner on the counter, but his shot flew over the bar, leaving the defending champions to settle for a point.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: