Petrojet and Ismaili remained in touch with Egyptian Premier League leaders Ahli after beating Gaish and Masri respectively on Wednesday. Ismaili leapfrogged Gaish into third place with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Masri in an entertaining clash. In-form striker Eric Bekoe scored twice as Petrojet defeated Gaish by the same scoreline to hold onto second place. Petrojet have 28 points, one ahead of Ismaili and four behind Ahli, who defeated promoted Gouna 1-0 later in the day. In Port Said, Ismaili pressed forward in the early stages and wasted two decent chances from forward Ahmed Ali and winger Mohab Saied. Their efforts paid off after 25 minutes when Masri midfielder Osama Azab fouled Ahmed Samir Farag inside the area as the referee pointed to the spot. Ismaili right-back Ahmed Sedik, who also converted a penalty in last week's 1-1 draw with Ahli, made no mistake from the spot to put his side in front. The stuttering Masri, who slumped to a crushing 3-0 defeat to Zamalek in their previous game, were roared on by the home crowd until notching the equalizer four minutes before the break. Masri midfielder Ashour Al-Adham unleashed a powerful shot that left Ismaili keeper Mohamed Sobhi with no chance.
Bekoe scores a brace Ismaili launched several dangerous counter attacks in the second period but once again suffered from the lack of a reliable striker. Playmaker Abdullah Saied came to their rescue on 58 minutes when he latched onto a through pass from the lively Sedik and sent a low shot into the bottom corner. Masri spurned a golden opportunity to secure a share of spoils 14 minutes from time when they were awarded a deserved penalty but veteran defender Hossam Abdul-Monem blasted the ball wide of the post. Bekoe Heroics Ghanaian striker Bekoe maintained his impressive displays to lift Petrojet past Gaish in Suez. He opened the scoring on the quarter-hour mark after being set-up by Egyptian international midfielder Mohamed Shaaban. Two minutes before halftime, the 21-year-old rounded Gaish keeper Mohamed Al-Shenawi and slotted the ball into an empty net after a swift counter attack to seal the win. He took his tally to 10 goals in 14 games to top the league scorers' chart. Gaish's Togolese striker Mikael Dogbe narrowed the gap on 50 minutes but Petrojet held on for a precious win.
