CAIRO - The eighth week of the 2011-2012 Egyptian Premier League ended on Sunday with four clashes, another four having been played on Saturday. There were meant to be five clashes on Sunday, but the Zamalek-Masry match was postponed for security reasons. El-Gouna, Al-Ittihad of Alexandria, Petrojet and El-Dakhlia all played Saturday against Military Production, El-Geish, Smouha and El-Mahalla respectively, while El-Talefounat, Enppi, Harras el-Hodoud and Ismaili played against Arab Contractors, Wady Degla, Police Union and Misr Elmaqasah (MCSD) respectively on Sunday night. Harras el-Hodoud are now at the top of the Premier League table, after stunning Police Union 2-0 in Alexandria, thanks to goals from Mohamed Saharawi and Ahmed Eid Abdel-Malek. Tareq el-Ashri, El-Hodoud's coach, is understandably delighted with this result. "The match was really difficult, and I want to thank all players for their perseverance and for winning," he said after the game, pointing out that the Police Union have a talented team and coaching staff. The victory has pushed el-Hodoud to first place with 19 points, while Police Union remain in fourth with 14 points. "This victory against Police Union was like getting six points, not three, because we were playing a team that are also hoping to be champions. Police Union played well, but our players' skill and experience gave us the edge. "We always aim to score goals, even if we have to concede one or two," El-Ashri stressed, adding that the fitness of the players and the changes he made paved the way for the win. "This win is great for morale. Although there's still a long way to go, my players are capable of winning the League. We were missing injured players like Ahmed Abdel-Ghani and Ahmed Salama, but others proved themselves, especially new face Mohamed Saharawi, who scored the first goal.” El-Ashri has said that his side are now preparing for their next game against Arab Contractors on Thursday. "We are well prepared for this crucial match," he added, pointing out that games against teams at the bottom of the league are never easy. Contractors lie in 18th place with only three points. Elsewhere, Enppi and Wadi Degla drew 3-3. Striker Ahmed Abdel-Zaher opened the scoring for Enppi before Degla midfielder Ashour el-Takki equalised. Moustafa Shebaita then put Degla into the lead, before striker Ahmed Raouf equalised. Hassan Moustafa scored Degla's third, before Raouf struck again, with the two teams sharing the spoils in this six-goal thriller. This result puts Enppi in the 15th place with five points, while Wadi Degla are tenth with ten points. As for Al-Ittihad of Alexandria, they stunned El-Geish 1-0, thanks to goal from Francis in the ninth minute of the second half. This victory puts Ittihad in ninth place with ten points, while el-Geish remain in 13th place with seven points. Meanwhile, Talefounat Beni Sueif defeated Contractors 1-0, thanks to a goal from Ahmed Shoukri. El-Talefounat are now in seventh place with 12 points, while Contractors remain in 18th place. Ismaili drew 0-0 at home against Misr Elmaqasah (MCSD). The Daraweesh are now eighth on 11 points, while MCSD remain in second with 15 points. Tareq Yehia, Elmaqasah's coach, was very happy with a draw against Ismaili, as it was a difficult match against a respectable team. “Snatching a point from the Daraweesh is like beating many teams,” said Yehia. The Egyptian Premier League 8th week results: Saturday December 17 Gouna 3-0 Military Production Al-Ittihad 1-0 El-Geish Petrojet 0-0 Smouha El-Dakhlia 1-1 El-Mahalla Sunday December 18 El-Talefounat 1-0 Arab Contractors Enppi 3-3 Wady Degla El-Hodoud 2-0 Police Union Ismaili 0-0 Elmaqasah
