Al Ahly maintain perfect start as Achraf Bencharki inspires win over ZED

Al Ahly made it two wins from two in the Egyptian Premier League by beating ZED 2-0 at Cairo International Stadium, with Achraf Bencharki continuing his fine form by opening the scoring before Taher Mohamed completed the victory.

Bencharki and Taher were both on target as Al Ahly moved on to six points, alongside Al Masry, Pyramids and Tala’ea El Gaish.

ZED remain on one point after their opening match ended in a goalless draw with Wadi Degla. The result was Al Ahly’s sixth consecutive league victory over ZED, with the Cairo club unbeaten in their seven previous meetings, having also recorded one draw.

Al Ahly will face Smouha in their third league match next Thursday, while ZED are scheduled to play Tala’ea El Gaish on Tuesday at 17:00.

Team news

Abdelrahman El-Banouby led the line for ZED, with Mohamed Rabie starting at left-back.

Ali Mahmoud was selected in midfield for Al Ahly in place of Ahmed Nabil Koka. Koka moved to left-back, replacing Karim Fouad, who began the game among the substitutes.

The Al Ahly squad also included first appearances for Yassin Marei, Ahmed Reda and Omar El Saai, although all three started on the bench.

Bencharki gives Al Ahly the lead

ZED goalkeeper Ali Lotfy denied Al Ahly an early breakthrough in the fifth minute, producing an excellent save after Bencharki had got a touch on the ball.

The match then went through a quiet spell before Al Ahly struck in the 21st minute. Marwan Attia played a low pass into the path of Bencharki, who drove a powerful effort into the bottom-left corner beyond Lotfy.

The goal took Bencharki’s total for Al Ahly to 10 in all competitions.

Mustafa Shobeir was called into action in the 29th minute to preserve Al Ahly’s advantage. ZED’s Hady Reyad then missed a chance to equalise four minutes later when his straightforward header went straight into Lotfy’s hands.

ZED players appealed for a penalty after claiming the ball had struck Bencharki’s hand, but both the referee and the video assistant referee rejected the appeal.

The home side came close to levelling in first-half stoppage time. A cross travelled through a crowded area without touching anyone before Mohamed Rabie struck the bar. El-Banouby then followed up but sent his effort over, with the chance arriving in the second minute of added time.

VAR confirms Taher’s second

Ahmed Sayed Zizo tested Lotfy twice in quick succession after the restart. His first shot was saved in the 57th minute, while his second effort went narrowly wide.

Al Ahly appeared to double their lead in the 61st minute when Taher converted Bencharki’s cross. However, the goal was initially disallowed for offside against Zizo during the build-up.

Al Ahly manager Hussein Ammouta responded with two substitutions, sending on Morocco’s Soufiane Bendjida for Taher and Ahmed Reda for Ali Mahmoud.

Referee Mohamed Maarouf waited for the VAR review, which found that there had been no offside at the start of the move. The goal was subsequently awarded in the 65th minute.

Taher has now scored 29 goals in 196 Egyptian Premier League appearances. The goal also means he has scored in the competition for a 10th successive season, including his time with Al Ahly and former club Arab Contractors.

Omar El Saai replaced Zizo in the 77th minute and went close twice, sending one effort wide of the post and missing another opportunity. Monsef Bekar also failed to convert a chance.

Aqtay Abdallah and Hussein El Shahat came on for Bencharki and Bekar late on as Al Ahly saw out a convincing two-goal victory.