Traditional arch-rivals Al-Ahly and Zamalek were both held to 1-1 draws with Arab Contractors and Police Union respectively in the Egyptian Premier League on Wednesday night in Cairo. Ahly still top the league with 53 points, despite a mediocre performance. They squandered many scoring opportunities. Arab Contractors opened the scoring in the 12th minute when striker Ihab el-Masri struck home at the second attempt after making the most of a defensive blunder. An own goal by Nigerian defender Shamusideen Tijani in the 18th minute gave Ahly the equaliser. The Cairo giants, seeking to move a step closer to a sixth consecutive league triumph, failed to extend their winning streak, a few days after reaching the Champions League round of 16 by defeating Zimbabwe's Gunners 2-1 on aggregate. Struggling side Contractors remain third from bottom with 26 points, one point adrift of safety. Ahly's attacking midfielders Mohamed Barakat, Mohamed Abou Treika and Ahmed Shokri were assigned the responsibility for feeding lone striker Emad Met'eb. But they lacked pace and creativity, appearing jaded and unable to move the ball smoothly on a muddy pitch, which made life difficult for both sides. Contractors had the better of the opening exchanges and managed to take a surprise lead after 12 minutes. El-Masri, back in action after a long injury lay-off, capitalised on some sloppy defending from Ahly's right back Ahmed Ali to connect with a pinpoint cross and head goalwards. Keeper Ahmed Adel should have done better than pushing the ball into el-Masri's path, leaving him with a simple tap-in. Met'eb failed to sparkle, as the Red Devils struggled to threaten the hosts, but they were gifted an equaliser by Contractors defender Tijani on 18 minutes. Ali, hoping to make up for his blunder, skipped past a challenger down the right and sent in a low cross that evaded Contractors keeper Mohamed el-Akabawi. Al-Ahly's coach Hossam el-Badri replaced Abou Treika, who is yet to regain top form after recovering from a serious foot injury in January, with veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan. The tactical move was not fruitful though, as Hassan failed to combine with fellow attacking midfielders and the out-of-sorts Met'eb. Al-Ahly's only goalscoring opportunity fell to combative defender Wael Gomaa, one of the team's most consistent performers, four minutes past the hour mark. He was found unmarked at the far post by a free kick from Barakat, but headed poorly across the six-yard box. Contractors' counterattacks could have given them a valuable victory, with right-back Bassem Ali taking advantage of one of them to break clear of defence, but his shot went wide of the post. Striker Mohamed Fadl replaced the ineffective Met'eb late in the game, but did not have time to make an impact as Contractors held on to share honours with the Red Devils.
