Titleholders Al-Ahly stumbled in the local league, dropping two precious points when they were held to a draw by Al-Geish on Tuesday night in Cairo. A dreadful blunder by Ahly's goalkeeper Sherif Ekrami allowed Al-Geish to strike home in the last minute to complete an exciting comeback and earn a 2-2 draw. Al-Ahly produced a ruthless attacking display in the first half to lead through a brace from Egypt striker Emad Met'eb. They eased off the gas after the break, giving Al-Gaish the chance to narrow the gap via a powerful shot from substitute Talaat Moharam. Al-Ahly's keeper Ekrami, making his second consecutive start after joining his boyhood club from Gouna in January, spilled a weak header from Mikael Dogbe just before the end. The Togolese striker earned Al-Geish a valuable draw on the follow-up to deny Ahly what looked like a certain win. Ahly's playmaker Mohamed Abou Treika, who had not played since the team's 2-1 win over Mansoura in October last year, was introduced in the last ten minutes to make his long-awaited comeback from injury. He was unable to help Ahly avoid a surprising draw. The Red Devils boast a five-point advantage over second-placed Petrojet, who have a game in hand. Al-Ahly have 40 points. Al-Geish moved into fourth with 30 points, ahead of Zamalek, who have a game in hand, on goal difference. With three attacking midfielders playing behind lone striker Met'eb, Ahly found no difficulty breaking down Al-Geish's defence in the first half. Al-Geish had a decent effort early in the game when a powerful low free-kick from Mohssen Hendawi was blocked by Ekrami. Met'eb, who ghosted behind Al-Gaish's defence, curled a delightful shot into the far corner to score his second goal after returning from international duty in Angola, where he helped Egypt win the African Nations Cup last month. A swift counter attack helped him double Ahly's advantage eight minutes before halftime. Met'eb broke clear of the defence and back-heeled the ball to the onrushing Hassan, who rounded keeper Mohamed el-Shenawi, but saw his low shot blocked by an Al-Geish defender. El-Shenawi was still lying on the ground when the ball slipped to Met'eb, who made no mistake for his fourth league goal this season. Al-Ahly's eye-catching brand of football continued in the second half, but without the effectiveness of the first. Their fans chanted for every neat pass near the halfway line, but Al-Geish were still hoping they could stage a stunning comeback and overturn the deficit. Moharam, who came on for midfielder Yassin Abdel-Aal, as Al-Geish's coach Farouq Gaafar sought to increase his attacking options, gave the visitors a lifeline in the 64th minute in superb fashion. He cut inside Al-Ahly's left-back Sayyed Moawad to unleash a powerful left-footed drive that left Ekrami with no chance. While Ekrami could hardly be blamed for Al-Geish's first goal, he will probably come under fire for failing to prevent them from securing a share of spoils one minute from time. Dogbe out-jumped defender Wael Gomaa after a pinpoint cross from lively right-back Hendawi, but his header looked tame, only for Ekrami to fumble it and allow the Togolese to strike home. Al-Ahly's assistant coach Alaa Maihoub branded the Red Devils' 2-2 draw as a 'harsh lesson', believing that the Cairo giants let victory slip from their grasp. "We warned our player off easing up after they scored twice," he told a post-match news conference. "We had to take off Emad Met'eb and Sayyed Moawad because they were getting tired in the second half." Al-Geish's coach Gafaar put down his men's impressive comeback down to their match fitness. "Our performance was great, especially in the second half," he told Egyptian TV. "After Ahly lost their edge I wanted to win the game. Our match fitness was a major advantage. We produced a praiseworthy display, regardless of the result." Meanwhile, in the coastal city of Port Said, hosts El-Masri drew 1-1 draw with Harras Al-Hodoud. Al-Hodoud's Ahmed Eid Abdel-Malek netted the opener in the 37th minute, but Ahmed Shedid Qenawi cancelled out Al-Hodoud's goal with a penalty in the 80 minute. The first half was a boring affair, despite Al-Hodoud's lead. In the second half, the hosts were more active, pressing the opponents' defence. El-Masri lie in 11th with 21 points against 20 points for Al-Hodoud.
