Defending champions Ahli failed to keep up their 100% winning start to the season after being held to a 1-1 home draw by Harras Hodoud in the Egyptian Premier League on Sunday. Hodoud stunned the home crowd when striker Ahmed Salama scored the opener nine minutes past the hour mark. Ahli's veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan leveled the score nine minutes later to notch his third goal in as many games. The Red Devils piled on pressure in the dying minutes but couldn't score the decisive goal. Hodoud, who defeated Ahli 2-0 in the Egyptian Super Cup, lie fourth in the league table with five points from three games. Ahli, who overcame Ghazl Mahalla and Police Union in their first two games, are still on top with seven points but Petrojet could leapfrog them if they beat Ismaili on Monday. Balanced Half Liberian Francis Doe was included in Ahli's starting line-up after recovering from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the team's 2-1 victory over Police Union last Wednesday. He played as a lone striker in front of attacking midfielders Mohamed Barakat and Mohamed Abou-Treika. Hodoud missed their top scorer Ahmed Abdul-Ghani, who was suspended. Coach Tarek Al-Ashri fielded Ahmed Hassan Mekki and Salama upfront. The first-half was an evenly-balanced contest, with both sides going close to breaking the deadlock in the first 15 minutes. Hodoud's Egyptian international forward Ahmed Eid capitalized on a mis-timed tackle from Ahli right-back Ahmed Ali to collect the ball in the area but he blasted the chance high over the bar.
Salama celebrates the opener At the other end, Hassan picked out Abou-Treika with a superb chipped pass but the classy playmaker's volley was blocked by Hodoud's Cameroonian keeper Mathurin Kameni. Cautious play from both teams afterwards restricted their efforts to some useless long balls. Hodoud's well-rehearsed offside trap thwarted numerous attempts from the hosts before the break. Unmarked Early in the second-half, Salama had a close-range shot saved by Ahli keeper Ahmed Abdul-Monem while Doe shot wide with the goal at his mercy few minutes later. Ahli coach Hossam Al-Badri introduced versatile midfielder Hussein Yasser, who scored the winner against Police, instead of Ali to increase his attacking options. Ali put in an assured display at the back before being substituted and his absence was felt when Salama was found unmarked at the far post to head home Abdul-Salam Nagah's cross on 69 minutes. Hassan spurned a golden opportunity to restore parity but made amends in the 78th minute. Doe's header from a Yasser cross was spilled by Kameni into the path of the Egypt skipper, who made no mistake from five yards out. Ahli pressed forward but Hodoud held their nerve to share honors with the six-time African champions, who eye a sixth consecutive league title. The match's goals
