Egyptian Premier League champions Al-Ahly played out a 1-1 draw with Ismaili Monday night in Cairo, as Mohamed Barakat limped off injured for the Red Devils. Ahmed Shokri's first-half strike was replied to by Ahmed Ali on the hour mark, but Ahly will be more concerned about the injury of their star midfielder ahead of next week's continental showdown. The Egyptian champions clash with Ittihad Tripoli in the African Champions League (ACL) on May 9 and they're trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Libya. After securing a sixth straight title, Ahly now have 61 points at the top, while Ismaili move up to fourth with 44, with their hopes of finishing second blown away. After his double against Mansoura last week, backup striker Osama Hosni of Ahly replaced Hani el-Egeizi beside Francis Doe upfront for the hosts. Ismaili dropped first-choice keeper Essam el-Hadari after the Egypt's number one's controversial comments regarding a return to Ahly last week. The Red Devils were off to a good start when Shokri fired the opener in the 12th minute, tapping in Barakat's low cross from close range. The fit-again Sherif Abdel-Fadil, who was signed from Ismaili in the summer, was unlucky not to double the lead for Ahly before the half-time. The centre-half struck two powerful free kicks, only for former teammate Mohamed Sobhi to deny him twice. Barakat, who has been in superb form of late, was once again Ahly's most active player during the game, but his night was over in the 57th minute. The veteran midfielder appeared to have sustained a knee injury as Ahmed Belal came in. Only three minutes after Barakat left the pitch, Ismaili pulled level, thanks to a classy strike from Ali. Al-Ahly are already missing influential midfielder Ahmed Fathi for next Sunday's match, which they need to win by at least two goals to reach the group stage. Meanwhile, Zamalek grabbed a 3-1 victory at El-Masri Monday night in the Egyptian coastal city of Port Said, to increase their chances of finishing second in the Egyptian Premier League. Hassan Moustafa opened the scoring before Shikabala hit a wonder goal to double the visitors' first-half lead. Abdel-Salam Nagah pulled one back for El-Masri, but substitute Remi Adiko wrapped up the three points for Zamalek. Zamalek remain second with 51 points, while El-Masri lie in 11th with 32 points. Zamalek broke the deadlock after 18 minutes through an unlikely source, as Moustafa followed Shikabala's powerful shot to score his first goal for the club. Shikabala then stunned the hosts with an absolute beauty on the half-hour mark. Zamalek's star of the season went into overdrive as he darted from his own half, running rings around El-Masri's last defender, before beating goalkeeper Ahmed el-Shenawi with an incredible finish. Zamalek's keeper Abdel-Wahed el-Sayyed made a crucial save before half-time, denying Mohamed Khalifa, to ensure the two-goal cushion. After the break, El-Masri looked way better than the first half and seemed determined to make a comeback. January signing Nagah, who scored against Zamalek before moving from Harras Al-Hodoud, beat el-Sayyed in the 57 minute, but the Zamalek skipper should have done a lot better with the tame shot. El-Masri piled on the pressure and el-Sayyed made amends for his error after thwarting a through-on-goal Ahmed Shroyda. In the 74th minute, substitute Bakari Coulibaly agonisingly hit the bar, only for Zamalek to strike against the run of play. Adiko scored his first goal with the Whites after brilliantly poaching in Sabri Rahil's cross from the left flank. The ex-Setif of Algeria midfielder came close to scoring again, but his effort went inches wide of el-Shenawi's right post. In Cairo, Petrojet were held to a goalless draw by Enppi Monday night in the same competition. Petrojet are still in the third place with 47 points, while Enppi lie in ninth with 35 points. Additional reporting from Al-Messa and FilGoal.com
