CAIRO: Emad Meteb scored a first-half goal to help Ahly clinch a hard-fought 1-0 win at Military Production and go six points clear on top of the Egyptian Premier League table on Sunday. In-form striker Meteb hit the winner one minute from the half-hour mark when his curling free-kick hit the top right corner of the net. The game saw Ahly goalie Ahmed Adel put in a scintillating performance to maintain a clean sheet and help his side claim all three points. Although the Red Devils won the match, they were obviously affected by the absence of a number of their regulars and the compulsory dependence on youngsters. Mohamed Abou-Trika, Mohamed Barakat, Moataz Eno and Hossam Ashour are all out of action with respective injuries. Now defending champions and leaders Ahly are on 35 points, while closest rivals Petrojet, who were held to a 1-1 draw with Arab contractors on the same day, have 29 points. Meanwhile, Ahly s closest rivals Petrojet failed to close the gap on the Egyptian Premier League Leaders after they played out a 1-1 stalemate at Arab Contractors on Sunday. Reda Al-Weeshi put the hosts in front five minutes from the hour mark, before Petrojet s Eric Bekoe brought the score level in the 73rd minute. The draw left the petroleum outfit on second place with 29 points, and the gap between them and Ahly was widened to six points. Third-placed Ismaili missed out on a chance to move up to second spot after they were surprisingly held to a goalless draw by bottom side Asyut Petroleum. A victory for the Dervishes would have lifted them to second spot on 30 points. Now they are one point adrift of Petrojet, seven of defending champions Ahly. The Egyptian league has been halted in order for the Egyptian national team to prepare for the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in January.
