CAIRO – Defending champions Al-Ahly earned a vital 2-1 victory over Petrojet in the 12th round of the 2024-2025 Egyptian Premier League season.
The match, held at Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo, saw the Red Devils make the most of their chances.
Emam Ashour opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a precise strike, while Slovenian forward Gradisar, a January signing, doubled the lead in the 66th minute.
Petrojet pulled one back in stoppage time through forward Ahmed Farouk but failed to salvage a point.
With this result, Al-Ahly moved temporary to the top of the league table with 26 points, two points ahead of second-placed Pyramids. Meanwhile, Petrojet remained on 17 points from 12 matches, having won four, drawn five, and lost three, with a goal tally of 11 scored and nine conceded.
Al-Ahly started aggressively, with Hussein el-Shahat, Emam Ashour, Mohamed Magdy ‘Afsha’ and Gradisar spearheading the attack. Their early pressure paid off when Ashour netted a brilliant goal in the 15th minute.
Despite Al-Ahly’s dominance, Petrojet grew into the game and launched counterattacks, testing goalkeeper Mohamed el-Shenawy. However, the first half ended with the hosts maintaining a narrow 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Petrojet came close to an equalizer in the 55th minute when right-back Mahmoud Shedid’s powerful header was expertly saved by El-Shenawy. But in the 66th minute, young talent Mohamed Abdullah set up Gradisar, who clinically finished to extend Al-Ahly’s lead to 2-0.
Al-Ahly continued to press forward, but a late offside call denied them a third goal. In stoppage time, Petrojet’s Ahmed Farouk found the net to narrow the gap, yet it was too late to change the outcome.
The final whistle confirmed Al-Ahly’s 2-1 victory, strengthening their position at the top of the table.
Ghazl El-Mahalla secured a determined 2-1 win over Modern Sport in their encounter.
Amr el-Gazzar put Ghazl el-Mahalla ahead in the 11th minute, but Modern Sport responded in the 40th minute with Mohamed Hilal converting from the penalty spot.
The decisive moment came in the 83rd minute when Mohamed Ali Ben Hamoud struck the winning goal, sealing all three points for his side.
With this result, Ghazl el-Mahalla climbed to 15th place in the standings with 11 points from 12 matches, recording three wins, two draws, and seven losses. Meanwhile, Modern Sport stayed in 17th place with seven points, having secured one win, four draws, and seven defeats.
Pharco FC claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ceramica Cleopatra at Arab Contractors Stadium.
Forward Amr Nasser opened the scoring for Pharco FC in the 23rd minute, but Ceramica Cleopatra responded swiftly, with central midfielder Islam Eissa equalizing just five minutes later.
The decisive moment came early in the second half when midfielder Mohamed Fakhry found the net in the 52nd minute, sealing the victory for the Alexandria-based side.
With this result, Pharco FC moved to sixth place in the league standings with 18 points, while Ceramica Cleopatra dropped into fifth with 19 points.
