Local football club Ahli has broken the world record for consecutive wins. Mohamed El-Sayed traces the path to perfection Sunset in Alexandria Stadium. The heavy skies of the coastal city promised rain. Despite the inclement weather, the stands were packed, 25,000-strong, mostly Ahli supporters waving or wearing anything red, the team's colours. The green of Ittihad not as pervasive, it was an odd, imbalanced sight. But the Ahli faithful were there for a reason: to see if their club could break the world record for consecutive league wins. Until Friday's match, the Egyptian team was in a tie for the most straight wins -- 16. Celtic of Scotland did it in 1965 and Al-Faisali of Jordan reached the same figure last year. It took the Jordanian club 29 years to tie Celtic's record but it might take another team "150 years to break our record," according to Ahli's Portuguese head coach Manuel Jose. Indeed, Ahli, aka the Red Devils, lived up to the fervent expectations of their avid supporters. They did something no other soccer club on earth has done before. Having punished Ittihad 4-0 in a surprisingly easy victory, they won No 17 in a row and as such will go down in the chronicles of the Guinness Book of World Records and that of FIFA. The top-of-the-table team, now a virtually insurmountable 21 points ahead of second place Zamalek, put the icing on the cake by producing a devastating performance. Before the real rain fell, Ahli had rained goals on the home side via Mohamed Barakat, Mohamed Abu Treika, and Mohamed Shawqi. Osama Hosni produced the fourth goal after a world-class touch a few minutes before the end. So enthralling was Ahli's play that spectators heeded neither the cold nor the rain. A few sports critics hold the view that Ahli do not truly deserve the honour, saying the club snatched undeserved victories during their winning streak. They cite the penalty the Devils were given in extra time during their encounter with the Coastal Guards in game 11. The team's marksman Abu Treika simulated in the area, leading to a penalty kick that he himself later admitted was wrong -- but which gave his team a 2-1 victory. Another dubious penalty was cited against Ghazl Al-Mehalla in the 13th week that ended 2-1. Despite the argument, the world record stands and is a glorious addition to Ahli's history of success. The Devils are the first team in the history of the national football league founded in 1948 -- it is the oldest in the region -- to win all their matches in the first round of the competition. Also, the red team became the first to garner 51 points out of 17 matches and the first to win nine league titles in a row beginning in 1984. For their deeds and other achievements in African tournaments, Ahli were chosen the African Club of the Century in 2000. Some observers argue that it would be almost impossible to win every game this season, but given the dismal performances of all other teams these days, Ahli could at least claim the championship with the biggest difference ever between the winner and the runner-up. Having missed out on their favourite title for the last four years, the Devils have practically recaptured the crown a whopping nine weeks before the end of the competition. "I hope to extend our victorious run till the end of the season to set more records," Jose said following the landmark match. "I don't care about individuals; my concern is centred on the collective performance," he added when asked about who played the best. "However, I see that Barakat and Abu Treika have special skills which they use for the benefit of the team. This, in my opinion, is the height of loyalty." Jose stressed he could not do without the services of any player on the team. "Of course I will be happy if a European club wants to sign any of my players. But the club's board invested a lot of money in those players, and I invested a lot of energy in building this team. "So we will not repeat the mistake Ismaili committed when they sold their best players, which affected their performance this season. We do not want to go through the same experience." In other matches, Zamalek continued their series of dismal performances, drawing 1-1 with newly promoted Army on Sunday. Ismaili were held to a 0-0 draw with Misri of Port Said; the Coastal Guards hammered Baladiyet Al-Mehalla 4-1; Mansoura defeated Cement Suez 2-1; Cement Assuit drew 2-2 with Enppi; and Tersana edged Ghazl Al-Mehalla 1-0.
