African Champions League hero Mohamed Abou-Treika scored twice and dished out an assist as Ahli thrashed hapless Al-Gaish 4-0 in the Egyptian League on Thursday. Abou-Treika, who inspired Ahli to their record-equaling fifth African title, came off the bench to help his side continue their impressive league run. Angolan striker Flavio Amado broke the deadlock six minutes after re-start before Abou-Treika doubled the lead three minutes later. Emad Meteb added the third seven minutes past the hour mark and Abou-Treika, who is nominated for the African best player award, completed the rout in the 69th minute. The victory placed Ahli in second place of the table with 23 points and three games in hand, four behind leaders Ismaili. Ahli had the first chance of the game through Flavio in the 14th minute when he fired a left-footed drive that went over the bar from the edge of the area. Mohamed Shawki almost put the Cairo side ahead four minutes later after he latched on to Ahmed Shedid's header that beat the offside trap but his close-range effort was blocked by Al-Gaish keeper. Al-Gaish started to switch the ball to the opponent's midfield searching for a stunning opener.
In the 27th minute, Hassan Mousa rounded Ahli defender Wael Gomma inside the area before curling a shot that was saved by Essam Al-Hadari. Portuguese coach Manuel Jose made two early substitutions in a bid to improve the team's attacking display. Right-winger Ahmed Sedik replaced Mohamed Abdullah and Abou-Treika was fielded instead of defensive midfielder Hassan Mostafa. As usual, Abou-Treika led the attacking line with his silky passes and wonderful touches as the unstoppable Red Devils hit four successive goals past hapless Al-Gaish. Ahli broke Al-Gaish resistance in the 51st minute when Abou-Treika's free-kick was blocked by the wall before going into the path of Flavio, who drilled a left-footed shot past keeper Wael Khalifa Three minutes later, former Tersana playmaker Abou-Treika received Shawki's through pass inside the area before outpacing his marker and hitting a low drive into the far angle of the net. The Egyptian giants killed-off Al-Gaish hopes in the 67th minute after Flavio chipped a superb ball to the onrushing Meteb, whose first timer found its way into the back of the net. Abou-Treika put the icing on the cake two minutes later when he connected with Meteb's back pass to send a cool finish home.
