CAIRO: Ahly extended their winning streak to five games after beating Arab Contractors 1-0 on Sunday, to stay six points clear on top of the Egyptian Premier League table. Mohmaed Fadl notched the opener after 16 minutes, while Ahmed Hassan netted the second one minute past the hour mark. Leaders Ahly are now on 26 points, while Contractors remain 9th with 11. The game witnessed a blistering start, with both sides eager to open the scoring. Contractors had a golden chance to break the deadlock when Mohamed Samara reached the six-yard box to flick the ball to Reda Al-Weeshi, whose point-blank effort was cleared off the line by defender Abdullah Farouk. One minute past the quarter-hour mark, Fadl headed Gilberto s corner-kick off the crossbar and into the goal to set the game alight. The match s tempo was notably stepped up after the opening goal, with both teams at their free-flowing best and many scoring opportunities squandered. Contractors Ehab Al-Masri could have restored parity when he went one-on-one with Ahmed Adel, but his shot went well wide of the mark. After the break the excitement didn t tail off, and more clear-cut chances were carved out. However, Contractors form evidently plummeted. Seconds past the hour mark, Samara tried his luck from close range, but his shot hit the side-netting. Egypt skipper Hassan doubled Ahly s lead when his powerful shot squirmed between the goalie s legs. The Red Devils took a stranglehold on the game after securing a two-goal advantage, with the visitors losing fluency and concentration. Ahly s Farouk prevented the Mountain Wolves from scoring in the dying minutes when he cleared another effort off the goal line. Elsewhere, Ismaili clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win at Ghazl Mahalla to stay in third place, while Petrojet kept trailing Ahly by six points upon beating Masri by the same score line. Ittihad recorded their third victory under Carlos Cabral by defeating Harras Hodoud 1-0 away in Alexandria. Military Production beat Gouna 2-0 to move up to fifth spot with 15 points, while Gaish beat Mansoura 3-1 to secure fourth place. Earlier on Sunday, ENPPI were held to a 1-1 draw at minnows Asyut Petroleum.
