A late header by Ahmed Hassan earned Ahli a hard-fought 3-2 victory over ten-man Telecom Egypt in a breathtaking league match on Saturday. Mohamed Abou-Treika fired Ahli ahead early in the game but Wael Riad scored against his former club to equalize just before the break. Riad struck home again midway through the second period to give Telecom a stunning lead that came shortly after defender Wael Al-Qabani was sent off. But Egyptian international Abou-Treika scored his second of the night eight minutes later to level the score. Veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan notched his first league goal in stoppage time to hand Ahli a thrilling win. The Cairo giants, who are aiming to win a fifth consecutive league title, moved into fifth spot in the league table with 16 points. They would move top should they win their four rescheduled games. Telecom, whose results this term have been impressive, lie sixth on 15 points. Ahli coach Manuel Jose fielded a full-strength side against Telecom to prepare his team for the CAF Champions League final second-leg against Coton Sport on November 16th. The visitors started brightly in the first 10 minutes and deservedly went ahead through a goal from the evergreen Abou-Treika. The classy playmaker skillfully went past the lackluster Al-Qabani, who was the last defender, to go clear on goal before sending a delicate chip over Telecom keeper Amir Tawfeeq. Ahli slowed down after seemingly realizing that Telecom would not pose much threat. But the Red Devils were made to pay for their post-goal approach.
Riad scored twice The hosts were awarded a controversial penalty in the first-half's stoppage time when the ball accidently struck Ahmed Al-Sayed's arm while he tried to clear it. Diminutive midfielder Riad stepped up to send Amir Abdul-Hamid the wrong way and draw Telecom level. Al-Qabani's Dismissal Former Zamalek defender Al-Qabani received a straight red card shortly after the restart when he made a clumsy challenge on Flavio Amado. Flavio robbed Al-Qabani on the edge of the area and the towering defender naively reacted to bring the Angolan down. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Telecom managed to go in front, thanks to Riad's superb goal in the 66th minute. The 26-year-old controlled Ahmed Omran's left-wing cross, shrugged off a challenge from Al-Sayed before firing past Abdul-Hamid from inside the area. Jose introduced striker Osama Hosni, Qatari midfielder Hussein Yasser and Angolan winger Gilberto in a bid to turn the tables on Telecom. Abou-Treika grabbed the equalizer in the 74th minute when he ghosted behind Telecom defenders to receive Flavio's flick at the far post with a precise shot that found its way into the net. Hassan sealed the precious win in the dying minutes after being set-up by Yasser, who made a notable impact following his second-half introduction. The Egyptian-born winger whipped in a pinpoint cross to Hassan, who rose unmarked at the far post to head home. Watch the match's goals
