CAIRO - There were four clashes in the sixth week of the Egyptian Premier League on Tuesday, with another five games having been played on Monday night. In the nine matches, there were six victories for Police Union, Al-Ahly, Misr Elmaqasah (MCSD), El-Masry, El-Talefounat and Haras El-Hodoud. The most thrilling match was the Police Union vs. Zamalek clash, which the White Knights lost 2-1. Al-Ahly, meanwhile, beat Enppi 3-2 in another exhilarating match. Misr Elmaqasah defeated El-Dakhlia 1-0; El-Talefounat beat Semouha 2-1; Haras el-Hodoud stunned Military Production 3-0; and El-Masry sunk Arab Contractors 1-0. This was the first League defeat for Hassan Shehata as the technical coach of Zamalek, sending them down to fifth place with 10 points from five games, with a game in hand against Wady Degla. Shehata was very disappointed, telling reporters after the game that his side did not play well, so they didn't deserve to win. The ex-Egypt technical coach added: "I played the game with the same line-up that started against Semouha, but we played badly, even though we managed to score in the first half." Zamalek took the lead thanks to Ahmed Hassan's penalty shot, while the Police scored twice, courtesy of Salah Ashour and Maarouf Youssef. The White Knights' stunning 2-1 defeat at the hands of Police Union unfolded behind closed doors in the Cairo Stadium. The first half was marred by Zamalek fans breaking and entering. "We played badly throughout and Police deserved to win as they were better," Shehata added. The veteran coach explained that the team missed the enthusiasm of the fans, but this was no excuse for a poor performance. "It's still early in the season and I have every confidence that the players will soon get their act together." Helmi Toulan, the Police Union coach, was delighted at his side's performance, although he refused to comment on Zamalek's performance. "I asked the players to do their best; this removed the pressure and they delivered the goods," the ex-Zamalek coach added. Egypt's soccer experts agree that Ahly deserved their 3-2 victory over Enppi in the Contractors Stadium, as they played very well, especially in the first half, when an early goal from Emad Mete'b confused their opponents. "This early goal was a surprise for Enppi, as it confused the team and their coach, Mokhtar Mokhtar," Essam Abdel-Moneim, a soccer expert, said after the game. “But Ahly weren't satisfied by that and started looking for another goal. Indeed, that second goal came from a penalty converted by Mohamed Abou Treika, who was in magical form, running rings round the Enppi defence.” Ahly's other goal came from Walid Soleiman, while Ahmed Abdel-Zaher and Mohamed Shaaban netted for the petroleum side. This victory means the Red Devils stay top with 14 points from six games. “In the second half, Enppi improved, with talented midfielder Adel Moustafa threatening the Ahly defence. If Enppi had scored from the penalty spot, things would have been very different. In any case, Ahly deserved the three points," the expert added. Zakria Nassef, another soccer expert, agrees. "The individual skills, especially those of Abou Treika and Soleiman were what gave the Red Devils the edge," said Nassef, explaining that technical coach Manuel José da Silva started the game with a good line-up, then made the right substitutions. Hassan el-Shazli, another soccer expert, agrees that Ahly's early goal shocked the petroleum team. "It was difficult for Enppi to get back into the game after that," said el-Shazli, adding that Mokhtar was wise to bring on Defonih and Adel Moustafa, making for a very exciting second half. José has decided to give the players ten days of rest, as the team will resume training on November 20, because the Egyptian Premier League will stop for around one month due to the national team friendly against Brazil on November 14 in Doha, Qatar. In the meantime, the Egyptian Olympic team will be playing in the African Under-23 Championship, which is a qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics. José said after the game that his players have become very versatile, stressing that they are capable of playing either with three or four defenders. "Since the start of the season, we have trained on different tactics, sometimes going with the 4-4-2 formation, sometimes with the 3-4-3 formation, depending on whom they're going to be up against," José told the TV satellite channel Modern Koora. "Injuries to defenders Mohamed Naguib and Rami Rabia forced me to resort to the 3-4-3 formation," said José. "We handed the petroleum team their first goal, while their second one came from a fatal mistake.” Naguib is out for four weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in Ahly's clash against Ittihad of Alexandria. José praised Abou Treika as “a great example on and off the field. He is the ideal example, especially for young players, and I hope he continues playing until the age of 36.” Ahly's football director Sayyed Abdel-Hafez was full of praise for the players' performance against Enppi, promising that they'll only get better. "This win over Enppi is very important for us, especially before the month's stoppage of the League," explained Abdel-Hafez. "For us to be on top at this point is a big morale booster as we look towards retaining the title," he said after the game, describing Enppi as a strong and stubborn team with a great technical coach and players. Enppi's coach Mokhtar said his team could have equalised, if they'd concentrated better and had been a little less reckless and rash. The 57-year-old tactician added that his team were also suffering from many injuries ahead of the game. "The injuries affected us; I think that the stoppage of the League will give us time to sort out our problems.” Elsewhere, Misr Elmaqasah moved to second place with their vital win over Dakhlia, while El-Masry grabbed a 1-0 win over Arab Contractors in Port-Said Stadium. El-Gouna were held to a 2-2 draw by El-Mahalla. The Egyptian Premier League 6th week results: Monday, November 7: Gouna 2-2 El-Mahalla Al-Ittihad 0-0 Wady Degla El-Dakhlia 0-1 MCSD El-Masry 1-0 Arab Contractors Enppi 2-3 Al-Ahly Tuesday, November 8: El-Talefounat 2-1 Semouha Petrojet 1-1 el-Geish El-Hodoud 3-0 Military Production Zamalek 1-2 Police Union
Photo showing Zamalek star Shikaballah trying to score against Police Union. The Police beat Zamalek 2-1. In the meantime, Shikaballah has been selected for the Egypt squad who will meet Brazil next Monday.
