Ahli have suffered their first defeat in Algeria since 1988 after losing 1-0 at JS Kabylie in a bad-tempered Champions League clash that witnessed an ugly brawl towards the end. The Red Devils appeared to have snatched a valuable equalizer when substitute Mohamed Shawky, who made his first competitive appearance after rejoining the club in the close season, struck home with four minutes remaining. His goal was correctly ruled out for offside but a free-for-all erupted afterwards between Ahli players and the stadium's security personnel, with punches and kicks flying from both sides for no apparent reason. Some Kabylie players were also involved in the unfortunate incident just before the stoppage time. The match, which was preceded by an attack on Ahli's bus on Saturday night by some Algerian supporters, was halted for around eight minutes. Defender Mohamed Khoutir-Ziti scored Kabylie's winner in the 24th minute after capitalizing on a recurring defensive lapse. Ahli's last defeat in Algeria was 22 years ago when they lost 2-0 to ES Setif in the semi final of Africa's premier club competition. With three matches remaining, Kabylie, who did not concede any goal in three games, are in pole position to book a last-four berth as they top Group B with maximum nine points. Ahli lie second on four points, one ahead of bitter rivals and compatriots Ismaili who revived their hopes of reaching the semi final after defeating Nigeria's Heartland 1-0 earlier in the day. No Rhythm, No Creativity With Ahli lacking rhythm and creativity despite the presence of the likes of Geddo, Mohamed Abou-Treika and Mohamed Barakat, Kabylie took control from the very beginning. They could have opened the scoring after ten minutes when striker Sid Yahia-Cherif ghosted behind Ahli's sluggish centre back Ahmed Al-Sayed to control a long ball inside the area but his weak shot was easily collected by keeper Sherif Ekrami.
Tempers flared at the end Ahli's sole opportunity in the first half fell to Ahmed Fathi three minutes later. The natural defensive midfielder, who was once again given an advanced role despite his limited attacking abilities, ran onto a defense-splitting pass from Hossam Ghaly to break clear of defense but his poor control allowed the keeper to gather the ball. Ahli, who are yet to fill a huge void left by departed striker Emad Meteb, struggled to mount any threats due to the absence of a reliable frontman. Geddo, a deep-lying forward, played as a striker but could not trouble the opposing defense. Khoutir-Ziti put Kabylie ahead in the 24th minute when he escaped his marker Wael Gomaa to slide a left-wing free kick past Ekrami from close range. Ahli continued to suffer from set pieces as Mohamed Amine-Aoudia almost doubled the hosts' advantage seven minutes before the break when he rose unmarked to meet a corner with a glancing header that went just over the bar. Disallowed Goal Ahli coach Hossam Al-Badri introduced striker Mohamed Talaat instead of Geddo in the second half but the former Egypt U-20 man failed to leave his mark. Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan, who started on the bench, replaced playmaker Abou-Treika who looked out of sorts. But it was the contribution of midfielder Shawky, who was introduced late in the game instead of Hossam Ashour, which brought the match into life after a dull second half. Playing in an unusual position upfront, Shawky side-footed home a Mohamed Barakat flick from close range. He looked ecstatic at notching what would have been a precious equalizer but the lineman's flag cut short his celebrations and sparked a brawl. Television replays showed that the former Middlesbrough man was in an offside position when he found the net.
