By Our Cairo Correspondent
AL AHLY moved up to second in the table as a clinical Emam Ashour strike proved enough to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over a resilient El Gouna side at the Cairo International Stadium.
The “Red Devils” dominated possession throughout the evening but found themselves frustrated for long periods by a disciplined Gouna defense. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 35th minute when Emam Ashour latched onto a clever ball from Achraf Bencharki to slot home what would ultimately be the match-winner.
Despite the narrow scoreline, the match was not without its late fireworks. In a frantic stoppage-time period, referee Amin Omar was forced to reach for his cards as tempers flared.
Both Yasser Ibrahim of Al Ahly and El Gouna’s Mohamed Emad were booked in the 96th minute as the visitors threw bodies forward in a desperate, but ultimately fruitless, search for an equaliser.
Al Ahly coach Jes Thorup opted to start Mohamed El-Shenawy in goal as part of his ongoing rotation policy, but the veteran keeper had a relatively quiet night, with the visitors failing to register a single shot on target.
The win sees Al Ahly leapfrog their rivals into second place in the Egyptian Premier League standings, keeping the pressure firmly on at the top of the table.
For El Gouna, the defeat leaves them hovering in 12th, still searching for the consistency needed to climb away from the bottom half.
QUICK STAT: Al Ahly have now won 14 of their 23 league encounters against El Gouna, maintaining a dominant historical record.
