Harras Al-Hodoud have won the Egyptian Cup for the second time in a row, beating Premier League titleholders Al-Ahly 5-4 on penalties, following a thrilling 1-1 draw at Cairo Stadium on Monday night. Youngster Ahmed Safi gave Al-Hodoud a first-half lead, but Mohamed Barakat equalised for Ahly eight minutes from the end to force extra time and penalties. The five Al-Hodoud players made no mistake from the spot as Ahly's unlucky number 7 Mohamed Fadl was the only player to miss. Al-Hodoud manager Tareq el-Ashri made three changes to the side that beat Ismaili in the semis, welcoming back captain Mohamed Halim. Ahly played with the same eleven who started against Military Production last week, also in the semis. The action started as early as the fourth minute, when Al-Hodoud's Ahmed Mekki found himself one-on-one with Ahly goalie Sherif Ekrami, who thwarted the Hodoud forward to make up for his defence's awful offside trap. Fadl, who scored twice against Production in the semis, replied after ten minutes with a superb volley that rocked the crossbar. Five minutes later, Ekrami's dismal clearance went straight to striker Ahmed Abdel-Ghani, but the heroic Wael Gomaa saved the day with an extraordinary clearance off the line. Abdel-Ghani missed a sitter in the 26th minute, blasting wide from 12 yards ��" it was harder for him to miss than to score! The game's tempo was always on the up, with both teams' defence on the alert after the hectic start, although Al-Hodoud looked closer to score. El-Ashri's side got their goal in the dying moments of the first half, capitalising on a poor piece of defending by the league champions. Ahly's Hossam Ashour was easily tricked by a fine dummy from Mekki, who sent in a pinpoint cross for the completely free Safi to head in past Ekrami. Ahly coach Hossam el-Badri then introduced Ahmed Shokri and Ahmed Hassan, whose first contribution was a precise cross to the quiet Mohamed Abou Treika, who volleyed wide. The turnaround began gradually as Al-Hodoud recoiled, hoping their tight defence would frustrate the Red Devils, but the ever-green Barakat made sure of a thrilling end. Receiving a terrific through ball from Hassan, Barakat instinctively lobbed goalkeeper Ali Farag to put Ahly on level terms in the 82nd minute. With the momentum on their side, Ahly piled on the pressure and Abou Treika almost scored a dramatic winner four minutes from time, but his effort was blocked by Farag. Four minutes into stoppage time, Abou Treika missed a much easier chance this time, once again foiled by an excellent stop from Farag. Conservativeness ruled in extra time, as both teams remained very cautious, despite Ahly's slight dominance in midfield. In the 113th minute, Abou Treika was denied by Farag for the third time, missing from point-blank range, blasting the ball against the body of Al-Hodoud's guardian. Barakat could have scored the goal of the season, but his volley went wide, as the game looked destined to go to penalties. Abdel-Ghani, Mekki, Ahmed Eid, Islam Ramadan and Abdel-Rahman Farouq scored for Al-Hodoud, with the latter hitting the winning penalty, denying the Reds their 14th double. Abou Treika, Barakat, Gomaa and Hassan scored for Ahly, but Fadl saw his powerful penalty hit the post. El-Ashri, who was obviously delighted with the result, described his team as a powerhouse, while paying tribute to the opposition. "Thanks to all my players, Al-Hodoud are on the road to glory, winning another title," the former Egypt international said after the game. "Penalties are all a matter of fortune and I had faith in God that we would win. However, the defeat takes nothing away from the efforts made by Ahly and their manager Hossam el-Badri. "Ahly played very well and it was a fantastic match,” added el-Ashri, who has just extended his stay with Hodoud and has yet to lose against his Ahly counterpart el-Badri after four encounters this season.
