Holders Ahly maintained a perfect start to the Egyptian Premier League with an easy 2-0 victory over second-bottom Dakhleya on Saturday, joining Smouha at the top of the table. Ghanaian striker John Antwi, who is still struggling to prove his worth, scored his first goal of the season and the first since May early in the second half to end the resistance of lowly Dakhleya. Moemen Zakareya sealed the win on 60 minutes after a fine move as Ahly made it four wins out of four. They are joint top with 12 points, on level with 2014 runners-up Smouha who also bagged maximum points from their opening four matches. Dakhleya created the game's first chance when central defender Mohamed Naguib's failure to clear a tame ball allowed Mahmoud Agogo to go clear but he volleyed over the bar with the goal at his mercy. That was as close as Dakhleya got, with Ahly then taking control despite the scarcity of clear-cut chances. Antwi mis-hit a free header following a pinpoint cross from Ali Maaloul after 20 minutes but made amends one minute after the break when he side-footed home another cross from the lively Tunisian full-back. Zakareya made it 2-0 on the hour mark when he gathered a deft pass from skipper Hossam Ghaly, cut inside his marker and beat the keeper at the near post with a powerful low shot. Ahly eased off after doubling their advantage, with Dakhleya creating two chances in the latter stages. Goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy was solid on both occasions, palming away a fierce shot before thwarting a header with a superb one-handed save as Ahly held on for another win. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
