Afrotto could not have hoped for a better first-team debut after coming off the bench in the second half to inspire Ahli to a 4-2 victory over a brave Police Union side in an exciting clash. When Ahli needed pace and creativity to break down Police, they turned to Afrotto who did not let them down. The 20-year-old, who produced catchy displays during the U-20 World Cup in October last year, was introduced when the Red Devils were 1-0 down after struggling against a resolute Police defense. He leveled the score with a superb curling free-kick, earned the penalty which gave Ahli the second goal and scored the fourth to cap an impressive display. "I expected that Afrotto would make such a big impact," Ahli coach Hossam Al-Badri said after the game. "Youth spirit is really needed, that's why I chose to play Afrotto and Ahmed Shokri in the second half." Shokri, who was also an influential member of Egypt's U-20 squad for the World Cup, added Ahli's second as the league holders overcame their injury problems to claim all three points. Ahli had to do without the likes of Mohamed Abou-Treika, Gilberto, Sayed Moawad, Francis Doe and Emad Meteb. "The injuries still pose a problem for us, we are losing many key players," Al-Badri added. Ahli atoned for their 2-0 defeat to Ghazl Mahalla last Monday - their first this season - to open up a seven-point lead over second-placed Ismaili, who had their game against ENPPI rescheduled due to their African Champions League commitments. Zamalek's game with third-placed Petrojet was also postponed as the latter began their African Confederation Cup campaign. Buecker Effect
Buecker leads Masri to second successive win Mahalla, buoyed by their win over Ahli, were undone by a Masri side who are notably improving under new coach Theo Buecker. Masri gave the German coach a winning debut when they defeated Military Production earlier this week before putting in another promising display to beat Mahalla 1-0 at home. Lively midfielder Ashour Al-Adham tried his luck from distance on several occasions until scoring the winner with a header that went into an empty net. The Port Said-based club moved one point clear of the relegation zone, which included a new member in Harras Hodoud. Many thought Hodoud would become title contenders this season after winning the Egyptian Cup last term before beginning their new campaign with a victory over Ahli in the Super Cup. However, a poor run of results saw them slip to the relegation zone after a goalless draw with Gaish. Gouna mounted the problems of Mansoura with a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from Ahmed Omran and Henry Akile. Caretaker coach Al-Husseini Kamal failed to enjoy a winning start after Adel Teima resigned from his post to become the third coach to leave Mansoura this season. The promoted side are second from bottom, eight behind the safety zone. Basement side Asyut Petroleum, who have 9 points from 17 games, failed to build on their 1-0 win over Gouna to slump to a 1-0 loss to Military Production. Ittihad's 10-match unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of Arab Contractors, who came from behind to crush the Alexandria-based club 4-1. Egypt forward Mohamed Nagi 'Geddo' earned the penalty which gave Ittihad the lead but is yet to replicate his Nations Cup heroics.
