In the 104th Cairo derby between arch-rivals Ahli and Zamalek, both sides failed to shine after a scoreless draw for the second successive time, Ahmed Morsy reports Egypt's mortal enemies Ahli and Zamalek couldn't complain following their 0-0 draw in the 12th week of the Egyptian domestic soccer league on Tuesday. For perhaps the first time, the two teams played with a stunning 16 points separating them in the league table. The tie left Zamalek 12 spots behind leaders Ahli. After 12 games, defending champions Ahli are now four points clear atop the league table, while struggling Zamalek are 13th with 12 points, one above the relegation zone. Ahli had a list of critical absences in their squad as they had to do without striker Emad Meteb, Francis Doe, playmaker Mohamed Abu Treika and midfielders Moataz Eno and Mohamed Barakat, who were all out with respective injuries. However, Zamalek also had influential hitman Amr Zaki out of the game with a hamstring problem. It was Hossam Hassan's second game in charge of Zamalek. Hassan, a former star striker for both Ahli and Zamalek, last week replaced Frenchman Henri Michel who was let go after a string of defeats. Zamalek striker Mido wasted the first clear-cut chance during the first minutes when he went one-on-one with goalie Ahmed Adel, but his low drive went inches past the post. Ahli youngster Ahmed Shoukri also wasted Ahli's first scoring opportunity when he tried to head past keeper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed, who awkwardly advanced to collide with a Zamalek defender. Ghanaian midfielder Ibrahim Ayew was sent in midway into the first half to replace defender Ahmed El-Safti who suffered back pains from his collision with El-Sayed while Ahli's right-back Ahmed Ali made way for Mohamed Talaat 10 minutes from half-time. In the second half, Talaat could have opened the scoring in the 51st minute but keeper El-Sayed blocked the effort. Bench warmer Ahmed Belal was sent into battle 10 minutes from the hour mark to replace Mohamed Fadl, who was clearly out of form. Belal had a chance from inside the area, but instead of scoring with a clinical finish he flicked the ball towards Ahmed Hassan who couldn't gather it. In the 72nd minute, Mido came close to scoring once again after he connected with the little played Adiko's low cross several yards away from the target, only to see his drive drift wide of the mark. Both teams seemed to be satisfied with sharing one point each in a derby between two Egyptian managers for the first time in 18 years. In the second half of last season, the two teams also played to a scoreless draw. Ahli went on to win the 2009 league title after beating Ismaili in a playoff 1-0. Elsewhere in the league, Al-Gaish extended their successful run, narrowing the gap to four points from leaders Ahli after beating Enppi 2-0 on Monday. Sameh Mahmoud gave Al-Gaish the lead in the 52nd minute when he poked past keeper Mahdi Suleiman, who unwisely advanced in an attempt to keep a clean sheet. Ernest Papa Arko doubled the military side's lead in stoppage time after converting a penalty kick. Al-Gaish are now in second place with 24 points while Enppi are seventh on 16. On the same day, Nigerian striker Minusu Bouba scored in the fourth minute of injury time to hand Police Union a hard-fought 1- 0 victory over Gouna. Gouna's misery increased after the game when they learnt that their 1-0 win over Spinning Mehalla last week had been overturned in favour of Mehalla due to a managerial error. The Egyptian FA awarded Spinning Mehalla a 2-0 win against Gouna as a result of the ineligibility of Hussein Ali's participation. Midfielder Ali featured for Gouna against Mehalla, although he should have served an automatic suspension for collecting three yellow cards in as many games. Upon gaining the unexpected extra three points, Mehalla leapfrogged into 10th place with 14 points. In similar circumstances, Zamalek called on the FA to replay their game with Haras Al-Hedoud or award them a win. Al-Hedoud forward Ahmed Eid played the entire 90 minutes and scored the opener to help his side beat the White Knights 2-1 on Thursday whereas he should have been suspended. The talented front-man was sent off in the dying minutes of Al-Hedoud's 2-0 defeat to Arab Contractors on 25 November for inappropriate conduct. FA's rules stipulate that such a dismissal should result in a two- match ban. However, Eid was suspended for a single match. Subsequently, Al-Hedoud took advantage and fielded their star man, who gave them the lead over Hossam Hassan's team. The Alexandrian side asserted that they were not part of the saga, stressing that they were given the go-ahead by the FA to field Eid. Egyptian football's governing body said the final result of the match has been upheld, adding that Zamalek's complaint will be considered by the legal committee. The Arab Contractors grabbed a 1-0 win over Petroleum Assiout, courtesy of a second half penalty by Alaa Kamal. As a result, Contractors move to eighth on 15 points as the winless Assiout Petroleum remain rock bottom with five points from 12 games in the league.
