Ismaili's hopes of competing for the Egyptian League title banished after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Harras Al-Hodoud in Alexandria on Friday. Ahmed Abdul-Ghani fired the hosts in front in the 19th minute when he converted a penalty after an Ismaili defender handled a cross inside the area. Ismaili dominated possession afterwards but never really threatened. They even left gaps in their backline. Al-Hodoud right-back Ahmed Samir wasted a glorious opportunity to extend the lead early in the second-half. The former Zamalek man latched on to a through pass and went clear on goal but his close-range effort was blocked by Ismaili keeper Mohamed Sobhi. The hosts paid for Samir's miss as Hosni Abd-Rabou brought the Dervishes level in the 75th minute from another spot kick after Ahmed Farag was brought down inside the area. The result put Ismaili in fifth place of the league table with 23 points, seven behind leaders Ahli, who could further extend the gap if they beat Al-Gaish later on Friday. Ittihad Still in Crisis Ittihad secured a last-gasp 2-2 away draw with Masri but failed to ease their relegation worries. The Alexandria-based club took the lead through Sameh Youssef in the 77th minute. Ehab Al-Mahs restored parity eight minutes from time and Mohamed Al-Gabbas looked to have given Masri a precious victory when he notched home six minutes later. It was the 19-year-old's first goal for the Port Said club. Hussein Shokri secured a share of spoils in stoppage time but Ittihad will have a difficult task to climb out of the relegation zone. They lie second from bottom with 11 points while Masri moved to tenth place on 14 points.
