Ahly Midfielder Emam Ashour in action during the match against Talae El-Geish. Photo courtesy of Al-Ahly.
The Red Devils remain third on 40 points, three behind leaders Zamalek, who can extend their advantage to six points if they beat ENPPI in a rescheduled league match on Wednesday.
Earlier, Pyramids FC defeated NBE Club 1-0 at Cairo Stadium to finish the first round second on 43 points.
Under the league’s current format, the top seven teams advance to a mini-league to determine the champion, while the remaining 14 sides enter a separate competition to decide the four relegation places.
Despite a 3-1 win over Arab Contractors on Thursday, Ahly had failed to impress and were expected to deliver a stronger performance against Talae El-Geish ahead of the decisive phase of the season.
Instead, the champions produced a sluggish display, failing to capitalize on several defensive errors from the hosts and looking vulnerable whenever the military side pushed forward.
Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan almost gave Ahly an early lead in the second minute, but his close-range effort was denied by goalkeeper Emad El-Sayed.
Two minutes later, Mohamed Atef put Talae El-Geish ahead, finishing from close range following a corner while under the marking of Ahly midfielder Marwan Attia.
Ahly struggled to respond against the hosts’ compact defense but equalized in the 31st minute when winter signing Hady Reyad scored from close range after connecting with a cross from Achraf Bencharki following a corner.
Talae El-Geish nearly restored their lead minutes later, but Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawi denied Ismaïl Ouro-Agoro.
The second half saw a disjointed Ahly side struggle to create chances, while Talae El-Geish looked more threatening.
El-Shennawi again kept his side level in the 53rd minute, saving another attempt from Ouro-Agoro.
But on the hour mark Khaled Abou Zeyda stunned Ahly, capitalizing on defensive lapses to score what proved to be the winner.
Ahly coach Jess Thorup introduced wingers Ahmed “Zizo” Sayed and Hussein El-Shahat, as well as striker Mohamed Sherif, but the substitutes failed to make an impact.
The visitors’ best chance came from a powerful strike by Emam Ashour, which El-Sayed saved comfortably, while the rest of Ahly’s attempts were dealt with by Talae El-Geish’s disciplined defence.
The victory marked Talae El-Geish’s first league win over Ahly in five years.
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