Egypt's Ismaily were held on Monday to a 0-0 home draw against Morocco's Raja Club Athletic in the first leg of the Arab Club Champions Cup round of 16. The Dervishes blew many chances in the first half against their guests to miss out on a precious advantage ahead of the return match on 3 December in Casablanca. Ismaily closest chances in the first half came when Cameroonian striker Christopher Mendouga failed to score with the goal at his mercy as his poor effort was easily denied by the keeper. Middway through the second half, a superb shot by winger Tarek Taha from outside the box crashed off the crossbar, leaving the Dervishes scoreless. On the other hand, the talented Moroccan side showed teeth in the second half through several well-exceuted counter attacks. Ismaily's veteran keeper Essam El-Hadary came to his team's rescue, making two splendid saves on minutes 80 and 82 to deny Zakaria Hadraf and Mohamed Rahim from inside the box. On Sunday, Ahly, another Egyptian representative in the championship, eked out a 2-2 home draw to Emirati club Al-Wasl in the first leg of the same round. Meanwhile, in an all-Egyptian tie, Zamalek defeated Ittihad of Alexnadria on Saturday 1-0 in the first leg of the same round. The Arab Club Champions Cup is the most financially rewarding tournament in the region, with the winner awarded $6 million. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)