Refereeing committee backs Al Ahly penalty in dramatic win over Eastern Company

The Egyptian Referees Committee has unanimously agreed that Al Ahly were correctly awarded a penalty in their 3-2 victory over Eastern Company at the conclusion of the opening round of the Egyptian League.

The decision came after Achraf Bencharki was judged to have been pushed from behind inside the penalty area during the second half. Members of the committee, led by Essam Abdel-Fattah, agreed that the incident warranted a spot-kick.

The penalty was awarded in the 68th minute, with Ahmed Sayed “Zizo” taking responsibility. He converted the opportunity to bring Al Ahly level and help start a decisive comeback in a match they had appeared to be losing.

Eastern Company had taken control of the contest by scoring twice through Ali Ehab and Mohamed Essam. Al Ahly responded through Marwan Attia, Zizo and Mohamed Magdy “Afsha” to complete a 3-2 victory.

The result gave Al Ahly a second consecutive win against Enppi after the club had gone five successive matches without beating their opponents in all competitions. It also ensured they moved into the group of teams at the top of the Egyptian League table.

The match was the first in charge for Al Ahly manager Hussein Ammouta. His opening fixture ended with his side recovering from a three-goal deficit before securing all three points, providing an immediate boost to his tenure.

The refereeing committee’s position focused specifically on the challenge involving Bencharki. Its members concluded that the contact from behind was sufficient for the referee to award a penalty, a decision that proved pivotal because Zizo’s successful kick restored parity before Al Ahly completed the turnaround.

Al Ahly will now prepare for their second-round fixture against ZED, which is scheduled for next Friday. Eastern Company will also be in action on the same day, when they host Wadi Degla.

The opening-round encounter produced five goals and marked a significant change in momentum for Al Ahly. Eastern Company had established a commanding advantage, but Al Ahly overturned the deficit through goals from Attia, Zizo and Afsha.

For Ammouta, the victory represented a successful start despite the difficult circumstances of the game. Al Ahly’s ability to recover from three goals down and finish among the early leaders added further importance to the result, while the committee’s unanimous backing confirmed the penalty decision after the match.