Ahly returned to winning ways after labouring to a 1-0 victory at lowly Tanta in a dull Egyptian Premier League game on Friday. A first-half penalty from Tunisian full-back Ali Maaloul, who opened his account with Ahly after joining in the summer from Tunisian side Sfaxien, was enough to give the Red Devils full three points. However, the visitors barely created clear-cut chances in a dour affair against a side which lie second from bottom in the league table with four points from seven games. Ahly, who were held to two consecutive draws by Petrojet and Ittihad of Alexandria before meeting promoted Tanta, are second in the table with 17 points, one behind surprise leaders Maqassa. The Cairo giants made a poor start to the game and were largely anonymous until Maaloul put them ahead on 31 minutes. They were awarded a penalty for a mid-air challenge on winger Walid Soliman and Maaloul was lucky to convert it, with his weak shot somehow squirming under keeper Islam Tarek and into the net. Summer arrival Mido Gaber, an attacking midfielder, made a rare start for Ahly but he was a peripheral figure and was replaced seven minutes past the hour mark. Tanta failed to mount any threats while Ahly squandered a couple of chances towards the end, with substitute Moemen Zakareya mis-hiting a shot from close range in one of those opportunities. Despite a below-par performance, Ahly coach Hossam El-Badry said it was important to grab a win following two recent draws. "I'm not entirely satisfied with the performance today, but we managed to win and this what matters most," he said in a side-pitch interview with ON Sport channel. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
