Ahly scored two goals in a short second-half burst and overcame Arab Contractors 2-0 in a rescheduled league game on Thursday at Petro Sport stadium as the Red Devils are seeking to catch leaders Zamalek on top of the Egyptian Premier League table. They are now second in the table with 48 points, 13 points behind Zamalek who played five matches more. Substitute winger Salah Mohsen opened the scoring in the 77 th minute while striker Mohamed Sherif added the second in stoppage time. Ahly struggled against a defensive-minded side, who proved a tough nut to crack for more than hour, failing to create any real chance during the first 70 minutes of the game. Arab Contractors' defensive strategy urged Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane to pose more pressure on the hosts' bulky defence by introducing striker Walter Bwalya at the expense of defender Yasser Ibrahim and winger Salah Soliman few minutes after the second half start. With two strikers, Ahly's offensive performance improved and the Red Devils started to threaten their opponent. The first chance came in the 72nd minute when Hamdi Fathi's close range header went inches of the bar. Five minutes later, Salah Mohsen intercepted the ball inside the area and his effort hit the post before crossing the goal line. The referee allowed the goal after a VAR review. Arab contractors reaction was insufficient to level the score as the team seemed toothless during the remaining 13 minutes. Ahly's top scorer Mohamed Sherif added the second in stoppage time after receiving a nice pass that made him clear to fire home and kill the game. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
