CAIRO — Al-Ahly, Al-Ittihad of Alexandria, and Talae el-Geish each recorded victories in the second round of the 2024-2025 Egyptian Premier League.
At Arab Contractors Stadium, Al-Ahly triumphed 1-0 over ZED FC, with winger Taher Mohamed Taher netting the only goal in the 11th minute.
With this win, Al-Ahly moved to the top of the domestic League standing with six points, having won both of their matches, scored six goals, and conceded two. In contrast, ZED FC remained in 14th place with just one point, having drawn one match and lost another, failing to score and conceding one goal.
The Red Devils dominated the match from the outset, taking the lead in the 11th minute through a brilliant play. Right-back Omar Kamal passed the ball to Taher, who calmly slotted it into the net.
After the goal, Al-Ahly continued to press forward, while ZED had a few scattered attempts to equalize. ZED’s defensive midfielder Hamdi Alaa was booked for a foul, and despite an improvement in their play, midfielder Moustafa al-Ash had to leave the field due to injury.
In the closing minutes of the first-half, Al-Ahly maintained control and launched dangerous counter-attacks. Left-back Yahya Atiyatallah nearly doubled the lead with a free-kick in the 37th minute, but it struck the crossbar.
ZED came close to an equalizer in the 44th minute during a scramble in the penalty area between goalkeeper Mohamed el-Shenawy and defender Kamal. The ball fell to ZED’s left-winger Abdelrahman el-Banouby, but El-Shenawy made a crucial save, preserving Ahly’s 1-0 lead at half-time.
The second half began with both teams playing energetically, but ZED created more dangerous opportunities. In the 51st minute, Ahly’s midfielder Marwan Attia was booked for a foul, while defender Rami Rabia suffered an injury and was replaced by Amr el-Solia in the 64th minute.
Forward Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim ‘Kahraba’ came on for striker Wissam Abu Ali, and Akram Tawfik replaced injured midfielder Imam Ashour in the 72nd minute.
Taher launched another dangerous attack, but ZED’s defense managed to block it. In the 85th minute, El-Shenawy was booked for time-wasting.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Ahly’s Bafana Bafana forward Percy Tau replaced winger Hussein el-Shahat, who had also suffered an injury.
At Alexandria Stadium, Al-Ittihad of Alexandria secured a 1-0 win over Haras el-Hedoud.
The Alexandria-based club put on an impressive display, controlling the match and creating several scoring opportunities, although El-Hedoud’s defense worked hard to keep them at bay.
In the 31st minute of the first-half, center-forward Fadi Farid came close to a stunning goal for Al-Ittihad. After skillfully maneuvering past El-Hedoud’s defenders, he fired a powerful shot from the left side of the penalty area, but goalkeeper Mahmoud el-Zanfaly made a brilliant save.
The breakthrough came in the 51st minute of the second-half when Farid finally ended the deadlock.
A well-placed cross from left-back Karim el-Deeb into the El-Hedoud penalty area found Farid, who expertly headed the ball into the net, giving Al-Ittihad a 1-0 lead.
Mohamed Youssef, the head coach of Haras el-Hedoud, shared his thoughts on the match during a TV remarks with ‘On Time Sports 2’.
“Although the loss is disappointing, we are steadily progressing. Our performance, especially in terms of possession and team spirit, was significantly better than in our last match against Smouha.
Youssef continued: “The team will improve further. We now have a 17-day international break, which will allow us to build more cohesion.”
“Some players are still not fully ready, as we’ve put together a new squad for El-Hedoud, and it will take more time and effort for them to gel,” Youssef concluded.
At El-Mahalla Stadium, Talae el-Geish secured a 3-2 victory over Ghazl el-Mahalla.
El-Geish opened the scoring in the 14th minute when left winger Karim Tarek made a driving run and delivered a pass into the penalty area, where midfielder Emad Fathi slotted the ball into the right side of the net.
In the 60th minute, El-Mahalla’s defensive midfielder Mohamed Ashraf attempted a header from inside the penalty area, but it was aimed directly at El-Geish’s goalkeeper, Mohamed Shaaban, who comfortably made the save.
El-Geish was awarded a penalty in the 68th minute, which Nigerian forward Godwin Chika converted, extending their lead with the second goal.
Ghazl El-Mahalla pulled one back after a shot from outside the penalty area that was parried by El-Geish’s goalkeeper, but Tunisian striker Mohamed Ben Hamouda was quick to pounce on the rebound and score.
Later, playmaker Ahmed Samir delivered a brilliant pass to right winger Ahmed el-Sheikh, who finished expertly to make it 3-1.
“We earned three valuable points against a very strong side,” El-Geish’s coach Abdel Hamid Bassiouny said in remarks via ‘On Time Sports’.
“It was a tough match, and we all know the circumstances are challenging. We’re currently playing cup matches, not league fixtures,” Bassiouny added.
“Had we been calmer and more focused, we could have scored even more goals. We’ll now put this game behind us and shift our attention to the upcoming matches,” Bassiouny concluded.
