Ahli edged closer to a fourth consecutive Egyptian League title after securing an easy 3-1 away victory over Petrojet, whose second-place hopes hangs by a thread. Two goals from Emad Al-Nahhas and Mohamed Barakat in the first 11 minutes put the Red Devils in a commanding lead. Emad Meteb put the result beyond doubt in the 72nd minute before Tamer Adel scored the consolation two minutes later after converting a penalty. Ahli are in charge of the league table with 61 points, a massive 21 ahead of second-placed Ismaili, who have a game in hand. The Cairo giants need four points from their last seven games to claim the title for the fourth successive season. Petrojet's hopes of finishing second and earning a CAF Champions League spot fainted as they lie fifth on 36 points, four behind Ismaili. Early Lead Ahli were awarded a debatable penalty after five minutes when Emad Meteb was allegedly tripped by Ivorian midfielder Mohamed Koffi inside the area. Television replays were inconclusive, failing to show whether the penalty is valid or not. Spot-kick specialist Al-Nahhas stepped-up and sent the keeper the wrong way to open the scoring. Barakat doubled Ahli's advantage in the 11th minute after capitalizing on a catastrophic defending by Petrojet men.
The energetic midfielder caught Petrojet defenders napping to latch onto Anis Boujelbene's superb long ball and go one-one-one with the keeper. Barakat rounded guardian Ibrahim Abdul-Gawad before slotting into an empty net to demonstrate Ahli's superiority. Tunisian midfielder Boujelbene assisted Meteb for the third goal in the 72nd minute. Boujelbene controlled Barakat's pass, ran towards the by-line before pulling back to Meteb, whose close-range shot went into the roof of the net. Petrojet pulled one back in the 74th minute through a controversial penalty, which Tamer Adel converted past Ahli keeper Amir Abdul-Hamid. Gilberto tugged Walid Soliman and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. Television replays showed that there was a mutual contact between both players. Ahli suffered a blow when keeper Abdul-Hamid, who became the team's first-choice goalie after Essam Al-Hadari illegally moved to Swiss side Sion, was injured. Young keeper Ahmed Abdul-Moneim was introduced to fill in for Abdul-Hamid. Ahli technical staff will be anxious to learn the extent of Abdul-Hamid's injury as their CAF Champions League squad includes just two keepers following Al-Hadari's departure. Watch the match's goals
