CAIRO - Al-Ahly are continuing to pile the pressure on Haras el-Hodoud, who top the league's standing with 31 points, after defeating Smouha Saturday night 3-1 in the 14th week of the Egyptian Premier League. The Red Devils returned to their winning ways thanks to goals from Abdullah Al-Said, Mohamed Abou Treika and Mohamed Naggi 'Geddo', while Smouha's only goal came through Ghanaian striker Samuel Afoum. The win puts Ahly in second place in the League with 30 points, while Smouha remain in 16th on 10 points. Manuel José da Silva, the Red Devils' technical coach, has decided to give the players rest for just one day and to resume training today in readiness for their clash against the Police Union on Wednesday. Ahly assistant coach Mohamed Youssef is delighted with his team's 3-1 victory, stressing that the Red Devils are going to get even better. "The coaching staff are very pleased with the players' performance," Youssef said after the game, explaining the game was not easy against a respectable team headed by a talented coaching staff. "The team entered the game with many absences – striker Emad Meteab and defender Mohamed Naguib were out due to injury, as well as defender Hossam Ghali and right-winger Ahmed Fathi, because they each picked up a fourth yellow card in the Military Production game." Youssef explained that, during the game, the team also suffered injuries to playmaker Mohamed Barakat and midfielder Mohamed Shawqi. "Barakat and Shawqi will have a medical test to decide whether they can play against Police Union or not," Youssef said, noting that Brazilian striker Fabio Junior is developing from one game to the next. Ahmed Naggi, the goalkeepers' coach, was pleased with the performance of Sherif Ekramy, stressing that he wasn't to blame for Smouha's consolation goal. “I'm pleased with Ekramy, while the most important thing was winning three points. "The players were very tired, because of the pressure of matches, and this had a negative impact on their performance," he added. Shawqi Gharib, the Smouha coach, meanwhile, said that his side missed many chances and that they could have drawn, but what is important is that the players gained everyone's respect. "I am happy with my players' performance and we're now concentrating on the Misr Elmaqasah [MCSD] match," said Gharib, who started the game with Hani el-Egazi and Samuel Afoum in attack, while defender Mohamed Samir and goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh led the defensive line for the Alexandrian team. The ex-Egypt general coach added that his side suffered from an unjust referee. "The referee must be fair," he said, pointing out that the experience of the Ahly players had a major impact on the final score.
El-Hodoud stun Petrojet Harras el-Hodoud stay at the top of the Premier League table, after stunning Petrojet 3-0 in Suez Stadium, thanks to goals from Ahmed Eid Abdel-Malek, Islam Ramadan and Ahmed Hassan Mekki. Hodoud remain in first place with 31 points, while Petrojet remain in 13th on 11 points. "The match was really difficult, and I want to thank all players for their perseverance and for winning," Tareq el-Ashri, Hodoud's technical coach said after the game, pointing out that Petrojet are a talented team with an experienced coaching staff. "Although we played for more than 30 minutes without key goalkeeper Wael Khalifa, we proved that Hodoud have become a major power," El-Ashri pointed out proudly. "This match against Petrojet was tough, but our players' skill and experience gave us the edge. This win is great for morale. Although there's still a long way to go, we can win the League. We were missing injured players, but the others proved themselves. "We always aim to score goals, even if we have to concede one or two," he stressed, adding that the fitness of the players and the changes he made also made a big difference. El-Ashri didn't forget to praise young goalkeeper Mohamed Nader, making his first appearance in the Premier League, replacing striker Ahmed Abdel-Ghani, after the referee showed the red card to goalkeeper Wael Khalifa.
El-Dakhlia defeat El-Masry El-Dakhlia grabbed their first win of the season, defeating El-Masry 2-0, thanks to goals from Izak Kariougi and Rashad Farouq. The win puts El-Dakhlia in 18th place in the League with eight points, while El-Masry remain in seventh on 19 points.
Elmaqasah beat Military Production Misr Elmaqasah (MCSD) also beat Military Production 2-0, thanks to goals from Ousso Konan and Osama Hosni. MCSD are now fifth on 23 points, while Production remained in 17th place with nine points.
