Ahli avoided a shocking Champions League elimination from the preliminary rounds but could not kill off minnows Gunners of Zimbabwe after wasting a host of clear-cut chances, with their strikers once again unable to rise to the occasion. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg of the competition's round of 32, Ahli came out with all guns blazing to settle the tie in their favor as soon as possible and ensure they would book a last-16 berth. They laid siege to Gunners' area from the very beginning, launching raids from the left, right and centre as the opposing defense was powerless against a wave of attacks. Strikers are traditionally responsible for applying the finishing touches but that was not the case at Cairo Stadium. Emad Meteb, Ahli's top striker, was deployed as a lone frontman because coach Hossam Al-Badri hardly trusts the other strikers at his disposal, including Liberian Francis Doe and former Ismaili man Mohamed Fadl, who both joined last summer. But even Meteb, who is a regular member of Egypt's starting line up, struggles for consistency and is usually blamed for squandering too many goalscoring opportunities. He spurned an early chance for Ahli against Gunners but the team's pressure eventually paid off when Ahmed Shokri headed home a free-kick from Mohamed Barakat midway through the first half. The breakthrough came from a winger in Shokri after the home fans began to feel the heat, fearing that their team might pay the price for a host of wasted chances. "Ahli forwards poorly dealt with the chances they had," Nile Sports analyst and former Egypt manager Mohsen Saleh commented. Shokri's goal made the tie all square on aggregate as Ahli poured forward to net again and go ahead. Central defender Mohamed Samir converted a penalty on the stroke of halftime to give them the lead. They were expected to put the result beyond doubt after the break but their problems upfront almost cost them. Best Chance Roared on by the home crowd to effectively kill off the game, Ahli continued to create chances and waste them in the second half. Their best chance fell to Meteb, who could not build on the two goals he scored against Petrojet last Monday to give the league leaders a precious 2-1 win that moved them closer to a sixth consecutive crown.
The opener came through Shokri's header In the 73rd minute, veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan raced towards Gunners area after a neatly-worked counter attack before unselfishly feeding Meteb with just the keeper to beat. The 27-year-old poorly chipped the ball over the bar before starring at the sky in disbelief. "Meteb positions himself very well but he doesn't make the most of the chances he get," Gaish coach Farouk Gaafar said in his post-match analysis. "Ahli had plenty of chances either side of the interval to end the resistance of Gunners." The wasted goalscoring opportunities have apparently encouraged the visitors to be more active in the latter stages of the game. They had some decent chances to score a stunning goal and advance to the next round on the away goals rule. Ahli fans had their heart in their mouth until the referee blew the final whistle to end some nervous moments which the team had to endure due to lack of killer instinct. Al-Badri, who is experiencing his first season as the head coach after replacing Portuguese Manuel Jose last summer, opted to stand by his men. "Some players are exhausted because we play a match every three days," he said on Ahli's official website. "All the players did their best tonight, we were just unlucky." Luck can be hardly blamed for Ahli's inability to convert their chances though. Al-Badri might be supporting his misfiring players in public at such crucial stage of the season but he should be seeking viable solutions behind closed doors. Summer additions could be needed.
