It is only a matter of time until Al Ahly clinch their 43rd Egyptian Premier League title and South Africa national team star Percy Tau moved The Red Devils a step closer on Wednesday. Tau struck early in the second half to give Ahly a 1-0 victory over Ismaily and extend their lead to five points at the top of the table. Ahly have played three matches less than second place Pyramids FC who have only three games remaining in the season.
The 2022-23 CAF Champions League winners did not have it easy against Ismaily who had plenty to play for in the midst of a fight to avoid relegation. Ahly forward Ahmed Abdelkader came close to opening the scoring in the 41st minute but his curling effort touched the post on its way out of play. Ismaily goalkeeper Ahmed Adel was at his best to keep the match scoreless by halftime.
However Adel could not keep out an easy tap-in for Tau early after the break. A corner kick was punched out by Adel and Mohamed Magdy “Afsha” collected to find Khalid Abdullfatah with a cross at the far post. Abdullfatah sent the ball back across the goal mouth and Tau was on hand to direct his finish past a helpless Adel to put Ahly ahead.
Five minutes later it appeared Ismaily had equalized when Mohamed Hassan deflected Ahmed Madbouli’s free kick past Ahly keeper Mohamed El Shenawy but the Video Assistant Referee determined that Hassan touched the ball with his hand. Both teams created chances for the final half hour but Tau’s goal stood as the winner when the full time whistle arrived.
Video of Tau’s goal is below.
