Merreikh slumped to their first defeat under Hossam Al-Badri at the hands of Khartoum's Ahli who won the Sudanese League game 1-0 on Monday. Soli Sherif scored the winner when he went one-on-one with keeper Essam Al-Hadari to lift the ball over his head and into the net. Merreikh piled up pressure upfront after the break, trying to restore parity but Ahli defended tightly to secure the narrow victory. Despite their loss, Merreikh remain on top of the league table with 36 points, six ahead of closest rivals Hilal who have one more game in hand.
