ENPPI remained in the Egyptian Premier League title race with a 1-0 victory over Telecom Egypt, who failed to end a 12-match winless streak in manager Hossam Hassan's debut. Former Masri coach Hassan took charge of Telecom following the resignation of Helmi Toulan. Egyptian FA president Samir Zaher said recently that Hassan would not be able to begin his new job unless being questioned over his conduct during Masri's regional match against Algeria's JSM Bejaia. However, the Egypt's all-time scorer guided his new team from the stands. His task of keeping the struggling Telecom among the elites would be tough following their defeat to ENPPI, who claimed all three points via an early goal from Ahmed Mostafa 'Shamama'. The 21-year-old, who was given a rare starting berth, notched the winner after six minutes when he latched onto Adel Mostafa's deft through pass to slot home. ENPPI had to thank goalkeeper Al-Hani Soliman for keeping their lead intact as he thwarted clear-cut opportunities from Telecom trio Ahmed Gaafar, Wael Riad and Fouad Salama. The Egyptian Cup finalists moved into second place in the league table with 39 points, three behind leaders and defending champions Ahli, who have a game in hand. Third-placed Ismaili, who seek to win their first league title since 2002, could leapfrog ENPPI if they beat Petrojet on Monday. Telecom remained third from bottom on 20 points, five adrift of the safety zone.
