Ahli fought to a rocking 3-3 draw with arch-rivals Zamalek in the 105th Cairo derby. Ahmed Morsy reports In a marathon see-saw match that lived up to expectations, title holders Ahli needed a Mohamed Barakat strike in the second minute of stoppage time to prevent Zamalek from registering a historic victory, snatching a last-gasp 3-3 draw in a thrilling clash on Friday. It was the third consecutive Cairo derby draw after both sides settled for goalless draws in their previous two league meetings. The result delayed Ahli's league celebrations as a victory would have officially handed them a sixth consecutive title. Ahli, who enjoy a nine-point lead over second place Zamalek, need to get just one point from their remaining four games to claim their 35th league title. Zamalek will be looking to finish second to play in next season's African Champions League. Three times Zamalek took the lead, at 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, only for Ahi to claw back every time. Zamalek needed just two minutes to take the lead after some fine individual work from Shikabala who caused Ahli's defence all sorts of problems during the first half. A neat feint allowed him to skip past central defender Sherif Abdel-Fadil on the right before whipping in a pinpoint cross for towering striker Ahmed Gaafar, who beat his marker Wa'el Gomaa to head home. After taking the lead, Zamalek continued having the upper hand in the first half, but Ahli managed to level the score in the 18th minute after some sloppy defending from Amr El-Safti. Emad Meteb was under pressure from El-Safti but he held him off in mid-air to head home from close range after a free kick from Mohamed Abu Treika. Ivorian midfielder Remi Adiko was surprisingly included in Zamalek's starting line-up after a long absence and was replaced by youngster Omar Gaber, who had made just a few appearances this season. In the 25th minute, Egyptian-born Qatari winger Hussein Yasser restored Zamalek's advantage after capitalising on a recurring defensive lapse. Ahmed Ghanem was played on side by Ahli right back Ahmed Ali, who was to blame for a series of opposing incursions, to break the offside trap and square for Yasser who had the easiest of tap-ins. Qatar's French coach Bruno Metsu was present in the stands to monitor the diminutive attacking midfielder, with a view to recalling him to the national team's squad. Meteb, who usually excels in Cairo derbies, scored his second of the night three minutes before half-time to restore parity again. Barakat skipped past Ghanem on the left to jink through into the area but his shot was blocked by Abdel-Wahid El-Sayed who could not prevent Meteb from notching home on the rebound. In the 79th minute, Zamalek striker Gaafar was under pressure from Gomaa and sent a weak shot that was poorly parried by Ahmed Adel. The ball fell to Mohamed Abdel-Shafi, who slotted into an empty net to give Zamalek the lead for the third time. In the second minute of stoppage time, Zamalek fans were preparing to celebrate a long-awaited win when Barakat cut inside from the left after a breakaway and smashed the ball into the roof of the net from inside the area. Zamalek fans and players looked shell-shocked after failing to grab their first win in 11 derbies in all competitions. Ahli had the upper hand in the majority of the game, Ahli coach Hossam El-Badri said after his side snatched the last-gasp draw. "The efforts of my players tonight should be appreciated. They gave it their all and were determined to win," El-Badri said after the game. "We were the better team during most of the first and second halves. Anyway, the result was satisfactory for both sides. "We have a shortage of options in the right back position. Ali is a good player but he was not at his best today," El-Badri added. Zamalek coach Hossam Hassan skipped the post- match news conference for no apparent reason. "We are coming, we are coming. We will defeat anyone," he shouted while on his way to the dressing room after the game. Hassan was on the verge of leading Zamalek to their first Cairo derby win since May 2007. He worked his magic to lift Zamalek from the bottom three in the league to second place following his appointment in mid-season, and was applauded by his side's fans at the end despite Barakat's late stunner. However, Ahli supporters hurled insults at Hassan, a man they used to cheer for during the 1990s when his goals helped the team win numerous domestic and continental titles before he incurred their wrath by moving to arch-rivals Zamalek as a player in 2000. After Friday's draw, Hassan took off the Zamalek white shirt he was wearing, waved it in front of Zamalek fans before running the length of the pitch to repeat the same action against opposing spectators. Zamalek are likely to face Ahli again in the Egyptian Cup second round, with both sides opening their campaign against lower division sides. Elsewhere, Petrojet, who defeated Mansoura 1-0 earlier on the same day, are three points behind Zamalek but can bridge that gap if they win their game in hand. Playmaker Walid Suleiman, the petroleum side's top scorer, hit the winner on 41 minutes. Petrojet are now third with 15 points. Ismaili played out a goalless draw with Haras Al-Hedoud to remain in fourth place with 42 points. Military Production beat Spinning Mehalla 2-0 to help the Arab Contractors, who downed Assiout Petroleum 4-2, step back from the relegation zone. The Contractors are now in 13th place on 30 points while Mehalla moved back to 14th spot with 28. Assiout, who have registered only three victories so far this season, have been officially demoted. In a mid-table match, Misri drew with Ittihad 1-1 in Alexandria while Gouna lost 1-0 at home to sixth place Police Union to move closer to the danger zone. Ahli are due to play Ittihad of Libya in the round of 16 in the CAF champions league in Libya on Sunday. Ismaili play away from home on the same day against Sudanese Al-Hilal in the same stage. Petrojet will clash with Tunisia's Sfaxien in the round of 16 of the CAF Confederation Cup in Cairo on Sunday. In Tanzania, Haras Al-Hedoud meet Simba on the same day and in the same championship.
