Ceramica Cleopatra turned up the heat in Group 1 of the Cairo Capital Cup with a crucial 2-1 home win over Pharco on Wednesday evening, complicating Al Ahly’s path to the quarterfinals.
The defending champions finally celebrated their first victory in the competition after two straight defeats, giving their campaign a much-needed lifeline under coach Ali Maher.
Amr El Solia opened the scoring for Ceramica in the 25th minute, settling nerves and putting the hosts in control early on. In the second half, substitute Ayman Saad Moka came off the bench and doubled the lead in the 82nd minute, just nine minutes after entering the pitch, to spark big celebrations among the players. Pharco refused to surrender and pulled a goal back through Mohamed Fathi deep into stoppage time in the 90+6 minute, but it was too late to change the result.
The win lifted Ceramica to 3 points in sixth place, just ahead of Al Ahly and Ghazl El Mahalla on goal difference with two rounds left. Al Ahly slipped to the bottom of the group with 3 points, increasing the pressure before the decisive final fixtures. Pharco, coached by Ahmed Khattab, still lead the group on 9 points, two ahead of second-placed Talaea El Gaish, while Enppi sit third with 6 and Arab Contractors fourth with 4.
The fourth round concluded with this match, and attention now turns to the fifth round on Sunday when Talaea El Gaish face Pharco in a top-of-the-table clash. On Monday, Arab Contractors meet Ghazl El Mahalla, before Enppi host Ceramica on Tuesday in another pivotal encounter that could reshape the qualifying picture. Only the top two in each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will book their tickets to the quarterfinals, ensuring every remaining match carries significant weight.
