Defending champions Ahly dropped points for the second match in a row after being held to a surprise 1-1 draw by lowly Tanta on Friday to miss out on the chance of closing the gap on Egyptian Premier League leaders Ismaily. Moroccan striker Walid Azaro made the most of a defensive mistake from Tanta's Mahmoud Masoud to give Ahly a first-half lead for his seventh goal of the season in one of the few highlights of a dour first half. Tanta were back on level terms just after the hour mark, thanks to a comic own goal from Ahly's central defender Ayman Ashraf. The Red Devils hardly troubled Tanta afterwards, with the hosts looking composed against their mighty opponents. Ahly made an impressive start to the season, chalking up eight wins in their first nine matches, but slowed down after slumping to a 3-2 defeat by Maqassa in a thrilling match last Sunday, which marked their first league loss in 46 matches. They are second in the table with 26 points, four behind leaders Ismaily who beat Ahly's Cairo rivals Zamalek 1-0 on Thursday. However, Ahly will go two points clear of Ismaily on top of they win their two matches in hand. Tanta lie 15th in the 18-team table on 13 points, two above safety. Few chances Chances were at a premium in a cautious first half but, as expected, Ahly were the dominant side, at least in terms of possession. They came closest to scoring after 12 minutes when a header by winger Ahmed El-Sheikh, who made a rare start, went just wide following a pinpoint cross from playmaker Abdallah El-Said. They went ahead four minutes before the break when defender Masoud, under pressure from Azaro, sent a poor headed pass back for his keeper and the Moroccan striker pounced to slot home with aplomb. Ahly could have gone 2-0 up in the early stages of the second half but two low efforts from El-Sheikh and versatile midfielder Ahmed Fathi narrowly missed the target. But they still looked sluggish, however, and Tanta equalized in bizarre fashion on 61 minutes when an attempted clearance from Ahly's Ashraf following a corner ended up into his own net at the near post. Ahly's pressure in the latter stages hardly yielded any tangible chances and Tanta could have snatched a stunning win with 14 minutes remaining, only for keeper Ahmed Adel to thwart substitute Hamada Galal in a one-on-one. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
