Photo: Ahly SC what's app channel
The defending champions were held to a 1-1 draw against Petrojet on Thursday, a game in which the Red Devils squandered numerous scoring opportunities.
The same story unfolded against Masry, especially in the first half, during which Slovenian striker Nejc Gradisar missed three chances, including one in which he faced an empty net.
Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed also wasted a promising opportunity with a free-kick blocked by the keeper.
Ahmed ‘Koka’ Nabil was another culprit, missing a golden chance when his powerful shot from inside the box went wide with the goal at his mercy.
Taher Mohamed had the opportunity to give Ahly the lead just before halftime, but his close-range effort sailed over the bar.
Thorup made offensive changes in the second half, introducing talented winger Ahmed Abdel-Qader in place of Taher to add more attacking thrust.
However, despite the substitutions—including the introduction of Achraf Bencharki, Mohamed Abdallah, Mohamed Shoukry, and Mohamed ‘Afsha’ Magdy—Ahly struggled to break down Masry’s well-organized side.
In injury time, the defending champions had a final chance to claim all three points when ‘Zizo’ won a penalty.
However, his spot-kick hit the bar, and the match ended in a frustrating stalemate.
The draw prevented Ahly from moving to the top of the league table.
They remain in second place with 23 points, three points behind leaders Ceramica Cleopatra, who defeated Petrojet 2-1 on Sunday.
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