CAIRO-Hossam Ashour struck after 36 seconds to give Ahli a narrow and unconvincing 1-0 victory over Gaish in their second Egyptian Premier League game later Friday. The defensive midfielder scored a rare goal with a right-footed shot to hand Ahli their first league win this season after they were held to a goalless draw by Police Union in their opener. Ahli, despite a star-studded line-up, once again failed to play to their potential but at least they managed to secure a morale-boosting win following their African disappointment. The Red Devils lost 1-0 at Algerian side JS Kabylie in an ill-tempered Champions League clash last Sunday. They are level on four points with arch-rivals Zamalek and newly-promoted side MCDR after two league games. Gaish have no points after suffering two consecutive defeats. Ismaili and Military Production are the only teams who bagged maximum six points. Ashour, who partnered Hossam Ghaly in the heart of Ahli's midfield, rounded off an intricate passing move to fire Ahli in front in the first minute. Mercurial midfielder Mohamed Barakat laid the ball off for the 24-year-old to send a right-footed shot into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the area. Ahli looked capable of ending the game as a contest after making an explosive start but Gaish made life difficult for them with some neatly-worked counter attacks. The pace of Ghanaian striker Ernest Papa Arko kept Ahli's defensive duo Sherif Abdul-Fadil and Wael Gomaa on their toes in the first half. Gaish's first goalscoring opportunity fell to midfielder Amer Sabri after 23 minutes. Sabri, the younger brother of former Egypt and Gaish playmaker Abdul-Sattar, robbed Ahmed Fathi in the 18-yard box but ballooned his shot over with the goal at his mercy. Five minutes later, Papa Arko broke clear of Ahli's defense after latching onto a deft pass but his attempted lob was easily collected by keeper Sherif Ekrami. Geddo, who said recently he was eager to open his Ahli account, wasted a golden chance to realize that aim nine minutes before the break. He exchanged passes with Mohamed Abou-Treika to break the offside trap and burst into the area unopposed but his inaccurate chip was blocked by Gaish keeper Mohamed Al-Shennawi. Ahli's holding midfielder Moataz Eno was introduced in the second half to play his first competitive game since recovering from a serious knee injury that sidelined him for around eight months. Gaish striker Mikael Dodzi Dogbe was also drafted in despite missing the team's pre-season training camp without excuse. The Togolese frontman returned to the army club, who said he would be heavily fined for his two-month absence, just one day before the game. Ahli dominated possession after the break but hardly came close to doubling their advantage. Gaish squandered a half-chance on 56 minutes when substitute Salah Amin shot wide from a tight angle after beating his marker Gomaa. Ahli's left-back Sayed Moawad had a powerful shot tipped over by Al-Shennawi in the 77th minute. The Cairo giants laid siege to Gaish's area in the dying minutes as their opponents seemed resigned to the fact that they would not be able to restore parity.
