None of the 16 participating teams claimed nine points after three games - an early indication that this season's Egyptian Premier League may witness fierce competition for the title. Neither Petrojet nor holders Ahli, who were the only sides to make it two wins out of two, managed to secure a third successive victory. They are joint leaders on seven points each. Harras Hodoud, who aim to become serious title contenders, gave Ahli a run for their money in a 1-1 draw at Military Academy Stadium in Cairo. The visitors took the lead via an Ahmed Salama header but in-form midfielder Ahmed Hassan struck home late to spare the blushes of Ahli, who are seeking to win a sixth consecutive league title. "We deserved to win. We were just unlucky," the Red Devils' coach Hossam Al-Badri said, even though the match was widely seen as a balanced contest. Petrojet, who are no longer surprise package after proving their worth in the past few years, were on the verge of beating trouble-hit Ismaili but a late equalizer from Mohamed Mohsen Abou-Greisha saved the Dervishes from a second defeat. Ismaili, runners-up to Ahli last season, played their first match under new coach Emad Soliman, who took over at the club following the sacking of Serbian boss Nebojsa Vuckovic. Soliman reverted to the traditional 3-5-2 formation after his predecessor was shown the door for insisting to implement a 4-4-2 system. A poor start to the season saw Ismaili bag just two points out of possible nine.
Petrojet draw against Ismaili "We are heading to Alexandria this week for a training camp. We hope to resolve our problems and bring the players together," the team's assistant coach Ashraf Khedr told FilGoal.com. "The players started the season focusing on a different strategy, so we want them to get used to our formation." Zamalek Stumble Zamalek once again put in a disappointing performance to draw 2-2 at Arab Contractors, who spurned an opportunity to grab a remarkable victory after leading by two goals to nil. "We gave away two precious points and an important victory. It is the nature of Egyptian footballers," Contractors coach Mohamed Amer said after the game. "We were the better side throughout the game. Our passing was excellent especially in the first half, but then the players backed down unnecessarily." A last-gasp header from substitute Sayed Mosaad helped Zamalek secure a share of spoils but the result was never satisfying for their fans, who also saw their team stumble against Petrojet. The Cairo giants, boosted by several high-profile summer arrivals, began their league campaign in a superb fashion as they produced a ruthless attacking display to defeat ENPPI 3-1. They then lost 2-1 to Petrojet and failed to overcome Contractors to raise question marks over their ability to win the league title for the first time since 2004.
Mosaad saved Zamalek "The gap between Zamalek and the league leaders is just three points, we should not be that worried," the team's assistant coach Abdul-Halim Ali commented. ENPPI recovered from a slow start to snatch a late 2-1 victory over promoted Gouna in their second league game under new boss Diaa Al-Sayed. Their second consecutive win lifted them to third spot in the table with seven points. Ittihad slumped to their second defeat in three games after losing 3-1 to Gaish. The club's board then sacked coach Taha Basri, under whom the Alexandria-based club became a mid-table team after fighting against relegation for several years. "I exerted a lot of efforts for the sake of Ittihad and we finished in a good position last season," Basri said. "I also supported the chairman (Mohamed Moselhi) on several occasions and my award was the sack, that's football!" Masri, who were defeated by newcomers Military Production in their first match before crushing Ghazl Mahalla 3-0, suffered a 3-1 loss to Police Union. Mansoura, who made a bright start to their campaign by holding Ismaili to a 2-2 draw, shared honors with Military – their third successive draw.
