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Five-star Ahly crowned Egyptian champions Ahly crush Arab Contractors 5-1 on Thursday to claim a seventh consecutive Egyptian Premier League title and a 36th overall
Defending champions Ahly wrapped up the Egyptian Premier League title with one game to spare after crushing already-relegated Arab Contractors 5-1 on Thursday to cap a remarkable campaign. Jubilant scenes erupted at the final whistle as the reigning champions savored one of the most hard-earned league victories, having bridged a six-point gap with arch-rivals Zamalek before opening a seven-point lead at the top with just one match remaining. Ahly maintained their domestic supremacy with a seventh straight league accolade and a 36th overall, leaving Zamalek, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Wadi Degla in a match that witnessed ugly scuffles between angry fans and security personnel, licking their wounds after another disappointing season. Zamalek, who are celebrating their centenary year, have not won the premier domestic competition since 2004. Goals from Wael Gomaa, Mohamed Barakat, Sherif Abdel-Fadil and Mohamed Nagy “Gedo” were more than enough to help Ahly secure an easy win before their enthusiastic and vociferous supporters at Cairo's Military Academy Stadium. Portuguese coach Manuel Jose, who returned to Ahly in January to lead them for a third stint following two hugely-successful spells at the helm, won his 20th title with the Cairo giants to further enhance his reputation as the best manager in the club's 104-year history. He is likely to rest his key players when Ahly face Maqassa on Monday in their last league game before starting their Champions League group stage campaign against Moroccan outfit Wydad Casablanca on 17 July. Thrilling first half After two poor displays against Zamalek and Smouha, Ahly were determined to live up to their ‘champions' billing and celebrate the title in style against Arab Contractors. They overcame a slow start to take control of the game after just 10 minutes as Contractors seemed the better side in the early stages, thanks to a series of dangerous set pieces. Although Ahly dominated possession, they initially struggled to carve out spaces. Their dominance paid off on 20 minutes when combative defender Gomaa sent Mohamed El-Akabaway the wrong way from the spot after the Contractors keeper fouled Meteb in the box. At the half hour mark, a neatly-worked Ahly attack saw Ahmed Fathi release Barakat in the area with a threaded pass to send a low shot into the far post and double the Red Devils' advantage. Contractors, who suffered relegation to the second division with two matches remaining, seemed out-of-sorts, leaving acres of spaces at the back. In the 37thminute, Fathi delivered another fine cross to Sherif Abdel-Fadil who rose above the defense and directed a glancing header past the keeper to make it 3-0 and put the result beyond doubt. More goals The hosts had an excellent start to the second half as Mohamed Adel pulled one back after converting a corner kick just seconds after the restart. It could have been the start of a fight-back but Ahly managed to kill off the hopes of Contractors after adding the fourth in the 62nd minute. Barakat tuned from scorer to provider as he wreaked havoc on the right flank and crossed for Gedo to head home. Skipper Hossam Ghaly was rewarded for his efforts when he completed the rout in stoppage time. His innocuous shot squirmed through the hands of El-Akabaway and into the net. Zamalek drop more points Zamalek, looking desperate, scored late to share spoils with 10-man Wadi Degla following a 1-1 draw at Cairo Stadium. The hosts had to do without several key players, including suspended stars Mahmoud Abdel-Razek ‘Shikabala' and Hussein Yasser. Amr Adel put Degla ahead in the 69thminute from the spot but Zamalek made the most of their numerical advantage following Ahmed Dorgham's dismissal to notch the equalizer, thanks to a goal from substitute Wagih Abdel-Azim. The match was marred by a brawl in the stands between security personnel and Zamalek's fans for an unspecified reason. The fans were forced to leave the stadium at the halfway stage. The clashes continued outside the stadium and at least two security personnel were injured in the melee.
