Ahli were held to a goalless draw by Suez Cement in the Egyptian league round-22 final that took place on Friday. With this result, Suez Cement now have yet another chance to avoid plummeting to the second-division league, while the Egyptian powerhouse are only five points away from clinching the league title. Ahli top the Egyptian league standings with a 60 points, while Cement hold 11th place with a tally of 21 points. Despite the unexpected draw, Ahli set a new record for the number of unbeaten matches after notching down their 52nd straight unbeaten match, only one match ahead Zamalek's previous record of 51. Ahli's last defeat was against Zamalek when they suffered a 2-1 loss back in May 2004.
Ahli put on their recently usual below-par performance against Cement, even after boss Manuel Jose's two replacements in the first-half. On the other hand, Suez Cement succeeded in their mission to tie with Ahli to reinforce their chances of staying the premier league next season, thanks to a tight defensive strategy laid by coach Mohamed Amer. The match also witnessed Cement defender Yasser Al-Kanani receive his marching orders after going into a rough tackle with Ahli midfielder Hassan Mostafa, who didn't have the ball. Cement depended on counter-attacks throughout the match but without avail after squandering a host of chances, most serious of which was in the 61st minute after Ahmed Lotfi crossed to Ahmed Omran who made a brilliant finish, but the ball went past the post. Ahli's Osama Hosni wasted one of his side's best chances to open the score after firing the ball straight into the Cement's right post in the 67th minute.
