CAIRO – Pyramids FC maintained their lead in the Egyptian Premier League following a goalless draw against Al-Masry, as Pharco FC and Petrojet secured victories over NBE Club and Haras el-Hodood respectively in the first round of the Championship Group.
Championship Group
At the Suez Stadium, Pyramids FC strengthened their position at the top of the league after a goalless draw against Al-Masry of Port Said.
With this result, Pyramids FC led the league standings with 43 points, while Al-Masry remained in fourth place with 31 points.
At Haras el-Hodood Stadium, Pharco FC secured a 2-1 victory over NBE Club in their Championship Group opener.
NBE Club took the lead in the 53rd minute through striker Osama Faisal, but Pharco equalized in the 73rd minute with a goal from center-back Yassin Marei. Forward Amr Nasser sealed the win for the Alexandrian side in the 89th minute.
With this result, NBE Club occupied fifth place in the Championship Group with 29 points, while Pharco FC moved up to sixth with 26 points.
At Alexandria Stadium, Petrojet edged Haras el-Hodood 2-1 in their Championship Group opener.
Petrojet took an early lead in the first half, with attacking midfielder Rashad El-Metwally converting a penalty in the 26th minute before right winger Khaled Aboziada doubled the advantage moments later.
Haras el-Hodood responded in the second half, as left winger Mahmoud Mamdouh pulled one back in the 70th minute.
With this victory, Petrojet improved their tally to 25 points, climbing to seventh place in the standings, while Haras el-Hodood stayed in ninth place with 22 points.
This season’s league format features 18 clubs divided into two phases. The first phase followed a single round-robin system, after which teams were split into two groups based on their standings.
Under the revised format, the total number of matches has been reduced, with each team playing 25 matches instead of the traditional 34.
The Championship Group consists of the league’s top nine teams: Pyramids FC, Al-Ahly, Zamalek, Al-Masry, NBE Club, Ceramica Cleopatra, Pharco FC, Petrojet, and Haras el-Hodood.
Relegation Group
At Ghazl el-Mahalla Stadium, ZED FC delivered a commanding performance, securing a 3-0 victory over El-Mahalla in the opening round of the Egyptian League’s Relegation Group.
Striker Shady Hussein was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick in the 30th, 45th, and 73rd minutes.
The win propels ZED FC to the top of the Relegation Group standings with 24 points, while Ghazl el-Mahalla remained in seventh place with 17 points.
At Khaled Beshara Stadium in El-Gouna, the hosts claimed a crucial 2-0 victory over Al-Ittihad of Alexandria in the opening round of the Relegation Group.
El-Gouna’s goals came in the second half, courtesy of right winger Ali el-Zahdi and central midfielder Mohamed Emad.
At Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo, Modern Sport earned a 2-0 win over Smouha in the first round of the Relegation Group’s final stage.
Cameroonian forward Arnold Iba opened the scoring for Modern Sport in the 61st minute, while right winger Mohamed Mosaad doubled the lead in the 68th minute.
Despite this result, Modern Sport remained at the bottom of the standings with 12 points, while Smouha stayed in fourth place in the Relegation Group with 20 points.
At Cairo’s Sports Authority Stadium, Ismaili secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Talae el-Geish in the opening round of the league’s relegation phase.
Centre-forward Khaled al-Nabris netted the decisive goal in the 86th minute with a powerful header past Talae el-Geish goalkeeper Mohamed Shaaban.
With this win, Ismaili moved to sixth place in the relegation phase standings with 17 points, while Talae el-Geish retained second place with 21 points.
The Relegation Group consists of the league’s bottom nine teams: Talae el-Geish, ZED FC, Smouha, Al-Ittihad of Alexandria, Ghazl El-Mahalla, El-Gouna, Ismaili, Enppi, and Modern Sport. Two teams will be relegated at the end of the season.
Al-Ahly boycotts Cairo derby over referee row
The Cairo derby between Al-Ahly and Zamalek was called off last Tuesday after Al-Ahly boycotted the match in protest against the appointment of Egyptian referees instead of foreign officials.
Al-Ahly had requested a postponement and warned of withdrawal if its demand was not met. The club later reaffirmed its readiness to play under foreign officiating, citing a prior agreement with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) that key matches would be officiated by foreign referees.
Although the EFA initially approved the request, it later reversed its decision and assigned Egyptian referees, citing insufficient time to secure foreign officials.
On match day, Al-Ahly failed to appear at Cairo International Stadium, while Zamalek arrived as scheduled. After waiting 20 minutes beyond the scheduled kickoff, the referee officially called off the match.
