CAIRO — The opening round of the 2024-2025 Egyptian Premier League ended with wins for Al-Ahly and Zamalek. Ismaili and Ghazl El-Mahalla finished their match in a draw, as did Smouha and Al-Masry. Pyramids FC and Petrojet also shared the points in their matchup.
Al-Ahly earned a significant 5-2 victory against Ceramica Cleopatra at Al-Salam Stadium.
Winger Hussein el-Shahat opened the scoring for Al-Ahly in the fourth minute, taking advantage of a defensive error with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area.
Ceramica Cleopatra equalized in the 24th minute when Algeria midfielder Ahmed Belhadji successfully converted a penalty, awarded after Ahly right-back Akram Tawfik fouled left-winger Mahmoud Zalaka.
Palestinian striker Wissam Abou Ali regained the lead for Al-Ahly in the 45+4 minute with a brilliant direct free kick that found the back of the net.
Just after the second-half began, Abou Ali netted his second goal and extended his team’s lead to 3-1 in the 46th minute, heading in a cross from winger Taher Mohamed Taher.
El-Shahat scored his second goal and Al-Ahly’s fourth in the 60th minute, converting a through ball from midfielder Imam Ashour.
In the 70th minute, Taher scored Al-Ahly’s fifth goal with a precise shot, assisted by a magical pass from Abou Ali.
In the 79th minute, Algerian midfielder Ahmed Kendouci narrowed the gap for Ceramica Cleopatra, scoring their second goal by converting a cross into the net.
At Ismailia Stadium, Ghazl el-Mahalla delivered a strong performance, holding Ismaili to a goalless draw.
Ismaili dominated possession and created several scoring opportunities, with strikers Marwan Hamdy and Khaled El Nabri missing key chances.
Ghazl el-Mahalla’s defense remained resilient throughout, effectively neutralizing Ismaili’s attacks.
The match was marked by a moment of silence in honor of the late Ihab Galal, former head coach of Ismaili.
In the 80th minute, El-Mahalla’s right-back, Abdelrahim Amoory, received a red card, reducing his team to ten men.
Despite being outnumbered, El-Mahalla managed to secure a draw.
At Cairo’s Air Defence Stadium, Petrojet’s Nigerian forward Gabriel Chukwudi opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, skillfully capitalizing on a brilliant through ball that split Pyramids’ defense.
Chukwudi dribbled past goalkeeper Ahmed el-Shenawy and calmly slotted the ball into the empty net.
However, Petrojet’s lead was short-lived, as Pyramids equalized in the 7th minute with a powerful shot from Congolese striker Fiston Mayele, which deflected off a defender and rolled into the net.
Just ten minutes later, Petrojet faced frustration when a goal was disallowed for offside.
In the 57th minute, VAR intervened again, ruling out a second goal by midfielder Hamid Hamdan, who was flagged offside after a defensive error from Pyramids’ playmaker Youssef Obama.
Pyramids’ striker Ibrahim Adel nearly gave his team the lead, but his low shot deflected off a defender and went wide for a corner, posing little threat to the goal.
The first-half concluded in a 1-1 draw, with Petrojet’s disallowed goal marking a pivotal moment.
In the second-half, both teams exchanged dangerous attacks; Pyramids sought a winner while Petrojet aimed to maintain the draw.
Despite a series of near misses, both goalkeepers delivered standout performances with crucial saves.
As the match neared its end, the final minutes featured thrilling end-to-end action, but neither team found the decisive goal, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
At Suez Stadium, Al-Masry’s first goal came in the 52nd minute from a brilliant cross by Mohamed Makhlouf, who delivered the ball from the middle of Talae el-Geish’s defensive half.
Striker Salah Mohsen, named Man of the Match, was well-positioned inside the penalty area and headed the ball powerfully into the net.
In the 87th minute, Mahmoud Hamada of Al-Masry unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty area that found the left side of the net.
At Al-Salam Stadium, Modern Sport and Enppi played to a 0-0 draw in their Premier League match.
Modern Sport maintained control of possession but struggled to create significant scoring opportunities. Enppi also failed to capitalize on their chances.
A pivotal moment occurred in the 32nd minute when Modern Sport’s goalkeeper, Mahmoud Genesh, misjudged a one-on-one situation with Enppi’s Tunisian right-winger, Rafik Kabou. Defender Mahmoud Rizk intervened just in time to clear the ball before it crossed the line.
In the second-half, the most significant event occurred during stoppage time when Cameroonian player Jonathan Ngoyem missed a crucial penalty for Modern Sport.
The penalty was awarded by referee Abdel Aziz el-Sayed after Enppi’s striker Ahmed Amin Oufa handled the ball in the penalty area.
Elsewhere, Zamalek secured a valuable 3-2 victory over NBE Club. The Whites took the lead in the 37th minute with a goal from midfielder Nasser Maher, who finished a brilliant pass from playmaker Abdullah el-Said.
NBE equalized in the 50th minute when attacking midfielder Mohamed Helal scored from the penalty spot. Just three minutes later, Zamalek striker Nasser Mansy restored his team’s lead with a powerful shot, making it 2-1.
Helal struck again in the 76th minute, converting his second penalty to level the score for NBE.
As the match seemed headed for a draw, El-Said secured win for Zamalek with a penalty kick in the 90+7th minute.
The game also marked the return of Zamalek’s left-back Ahmed Fattouh, who made his first appearance in 84 days after last playing against ZED FC in the Egyptian Premier League on August 8.
NBE manager Tareq Mustafa was sent off in the 90+2nd minute for protesting the referee’s decisions, adding to the drama of the final moments.
