CAIRO - Egypt's Harras el-Hodoud are now topping the Premier League table, after stunning Gouna 1-0 in the 15th week of the games, thanks to a goal by Ahmed Eid Abdel Malek. The victory pushed el-Hodoud to the first place with 34 points, while Gouna remained on 8th place with 19 points. Tareq el-Ashri, El-Hodoud's technical coach, was understandably delighted by the result. "The match was really difficult; I want to thank all players for their perseverance," el-Ashri said after the game, pointing out that Gouna's players and veteran coaching staff were talented opponents. "Although the winning goal came at the last moment, my players didn't lose their hope to grab the three points of the game. They really proved that Hodoud has become a major power," el-Ashri pointed out. "This victory was difficult to achieve, yet our players' skill and experience gave us an edge. This win is great for morale. Although there's still a long way to go, my players are capable of winning the League. We missed our injured players, but others proved themselves,” el-Ashri added. "We always aim to score goals, even if we have to concede one or two," he stressed, adding that the players' fitness and the changes he made paved the way for the win. "Winning in 11 straight successive matches is really a great achievement, something to be proud of," said el-Ashri, expressing his hope that the team would win all games. El-Hodoud are now at the top of the Premier League, one point ahead of Al-Ahly (on second place) and two points ahead of Zamalek (on third place). Unconvincing win for Zamalek Zamalek's assistant coach Ismail Youssef revealed that coach Hassan Shehata blamed the players after their match against Dakhlia because of their low performance in the last 5 minutes of the game, which could cause the team losing two points. Zamalek defeated Dakhlia 2-1 thanks to goals from playmaker Mahmoud Abdel Razeq 'Shikaballah', Benin striker Razak Omotoyossi, while Ahmed Temsaah scored for Dakhlia at stoppage time. "If the players had been a little less reckless and rash, they would have scored more goals," Youssef explained, pointing out that the team had presented a good show during the first half of the game, followed by a drop in their performance during the second half. "But what matters most is that this win will give the team a boost," said the ex-Gouna coach, adding it was most important to snatch all three points, particularly when playing against respectable opponents like Dakhlia. Zamalek are on third place with 32 points, while Dakhlia remained on 18th place with 8 points. Youssef said that the technical staff preferred to start the game with 3 players in the midfielder zone to stop attacks by the Dakhlia players, as Zamalek had good wingers who performed the counter-attack well. Alaa Abdel Aal, the technical coach of Dakhlia, expressed his satisfaction with the players' performance against Zamalek, especially after midfielder Wael Ismail got the red card. "I want to thank all players for the good performance, particularly after Wael Ismail got dismissed in the first half," Abdel Aal said. "Before the game, I warned the players about the danger of Zamalek, especially Shikaballah, but it turned out that he was able to score," Abdel Aal added, pointing out that everyone was aware that the players performed for the first time under pressure from fans. El-Telefounat stunned Al-Ittihad 2-1 El-Telefounat beat Ittihad of Alexandria 2-1, thanks to two goals by Rabei Ali and Moustafa Mehana, while Moustafa Kareem scored for Ittihad. The win puts Telefounat on 10th place with 16 points, while Ittihad remain on 11th place with 15 points. Ashraf Kassem, Telefounat's coach, said he was very happy that his lads had come out on top at the end of this tricky match. "It wasn't easy, but we're improving from one game to the next," he pointed out. Kassem, an ex-Zamalek player, explained that his players' persistence and determination tipped the balance against Ittihad, a very respectable outfit.
Godwin's late goal makes Ismaili win Ismaili beat Arab Contractors 1-0, thanks to a goal by the Nigerian Godwin. The win puts Ismaili on 5th place with 24 points, while Arab Contractors remain on 16th place with 10 points.
Al-Ahly chasing El-Hodoud Al-Ahly continue to chase Haras el-Hodoud, who top the League with 34 points, after defeating the Police Union on Wednesday night with 1-0 in the 15th week of the Egyptian Premier League. The Red Devils' goal came from Mohamed Abou-Trieka. The win puts Ahly on second place with 33 points, while the Police Union remained on 4th place with 25 points. Manuel José da Silva, the Red Devils' technical coach, gave his players just one day's rest and resumed training Friday, in readiness for their match against Arab Contractors on Tuesday. Ahly assistant coach Mohamed Youssef was delighted by his team's 1-0 victory. He stressed that the Red Devils would get even better. "The coaching staff is happy with the players' performance," Youssef said after the game, explaining it had not been an easy one, considering that the opponent was a respectable team headed by talented coaching staff. Youssef added: "We entered the game with many absences, like striker Emad Meteab and defender Mohamed Naguib, who were injured Yet the players performed well and got the three points," Youssef added. Egyptian Premier League 15th week results: Al-Ahly versus Police Union 1-0 El-Masry v. Enppi 1-0 Smouha v. MCSD 3-1 El-Telefounat v. Al-Ittihad 2-1 Arab Contractors v. Ismaili 0-1 El-Hodoud v. Gouna 1-0 Zamalek v. El-Dakhlia 2-1
