Defending champions Ahli collected their first three points of the season after defeating Ettihad Al-Shorta 3-0 in impressive fashion. The holders were stunned in their first game of the season after suffering a shocking 2-1 defeat at the hands of newcomers Raja and were desperate to collect maximum points from their second game against a very strong team in the form of Al-Shorta. Ahli players seemed determined from the very first minute and missed a couple of chances inside the first 10 minutes until they broke the deadlock in the 14th minute thanks to a classy finish from young star Amr Gamal who finished with a first-time shot from close range after an outstanding cross from man of the match Walid Suleiman. The second goal came three minutes before half time as Al-Shorta defender Yehia Toure put the ball in his own net in comical fashion after failing to deal with an easy cross from Gamal. The game was put to bed in the 66th minute when Suleiman scored his side's third goal of the game after deceiving a defender and the goalkeeper in style before curling the ball with his right foot into the far corner to cap off an astonishing display with a deserved strike. The same day saw Al-Gouna and Damanhour play out a goalless draw as both teams registered their third draw and third points of the season from five games each. The following day saw Masri defeat newcomers Al-Nasr 3-2 in a breathtaking encounter that saw Al-Nasr coming from two goals down to score an equaliser in the 83rd minute before conceding the third three minutes later to lose for the fourth time in five games, with their only point of the season so far coming ironically from a 2-2 draw against leaguer leaders Haras Al-Hodoud. The win meant Masri stayed second with 10 points from five games after winning three games and drawing the other two. Later in the day the league leaders snatched a hard fought victory against Al-Geish as the game ended 1-0 to the hosts thanks to an early strike from Ahmed Hassan Mekki in the 14th minute. Haras Al-Hodoud are now top with 11 points from five games while Al-Geish stayed eighth with seven points from five games as well. The Arab Contractors and Al-Makasa played out an entertaining 1-1 draw that saw both sides miss plenty of chances throughout the game. The Contractors took the lead in the 22nd minute through Mohamed Selim before former Ahli player Al-Sayed Hamdi scored the equaliser in the 63rd minute. Al-Makasa stayed fourth while the Contractors moved one place up to 10th. Enppi continued their brilliant start to the season as they registered their third win in a row when they destroyed Al-Raja in a game that ended 4-1 to the hosts. Since suffering defeat at the hands of Al-Shorta in the first week of the league Enppi responded with three wins to move to third place with nine points from four games, which means that a win in their postponed game will take them to the summit. The writer is a freelance journalist.
