A couple of Cairo’s big spending sides opened up their 2021-22 Egyptian Premier League season on Wednesday with last season’s runners-up Al Ahly taking three points as well as Pyramids FC. Ahly stormed to an easy 4-0 victory at El Ismaily and supporters of the reigning African champions must have been delighted to see new attacking signings Percy Tau and Luis Miquissone make instant impacts on their league debuts.
At the end of the opening twenty minutes, Miquissone set the table for the opening goal when he was taken down in the Ismaily penalty area for a penalty kick. Veteran left back Ali Maâloul put away the spot kick with ease, sending keeper Ahmed Adel the wrong way. It was then time for Tau to shine soon after. Only a minute after the penalty kick goal, the South Africa national team forward was sent in by a flicked header from Afsha and stormed past a defender into open space before placing his finish past Adel.
Tau tallied another to make it 3-0 after 32 minutes when Afsha had plenty of room on the right wing to lay in a low cross for Tau to finish, the goal initially being ruled out before VAR intervened and confirmed the goal. Ahmed Kader Radwan finished off a dominant victory for Ahly late on by taking a cross from fellow substitute Hussein El Shahat and applying a composed finish.
In the earlier match, a double from debutant Walid El Karti gave Pyramids a 2-1 victory over Misr Lel Makkasa. The Moroccan, arriving from Wydad Casablanca, provided an excellent headed finish off a Mohamed Hamdy Sharaf free kick to open the scoring just before halftime. On the other side of halftime, an excellent strike from distance equalized the match for the visitors, but on the 60 minute mark it was El Karti who popped up again to bail out the favorites. The member of Morocco’s 2020 African Nations Championship winning squad slid onto the end of a diagonal cross for a smooth finish to give Pyramids a lead they would not relinquish.
Highlights from both games are below.
El Ismaily 0-4 Al Ahly
Pyramids FC 2-1 Misr Lel Makkasa
