Al Ahly beat Delfi in friendly as Imam Ashour and Moroccan duo feature

Al Ahly stepped up preparations for their Egyptian Premier League campaign with a 2-1 friendly victory over Delfi at the مختار التتش Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Aqtai Abdullah and Soufiane Benjedida scored Al Ahly’s goals in the match, which was played at the club’s headquarters in Al Gezira.

The fixture came less than 24 hours after Hussein Ammouta’s side recorded a 2-0 win against ZED in the second round of the Egyptian Premier League on Friday.

Imam Ashour, along with Morocco internationals Achraf Dari and Reda Slim, took part in the friendly. The match also included substitutes who had featured in the victory over ZED the previous day.

Al Ahly are preparing for their next league fixture against Smouha, which is scheduled for Thursday in the third round of the competition.

The Egyptian Premier League Association has confirmed that the match will be played on Thursday, 3 September, at Cairo International Stadium, with kick-off set for 20:00 local time.

The fixture was moved to that date because no matches can be held at Cairo International Stadium on 1 or 2 September.

Al Ahly currently sit second in the league table with six points from their opening two matches. They are level on points with leaders Pyramids, but trail them on goal difference.

The win over Delfi provided further match practice for a squad that had already been involved in competitive action less than a day earlier. It also gave Ammouta the opportunity to involve Ashour, Dari and Slim, as well as the players who came off the bench against ZED.

Al Ahly began their league campaign with a points tally of six and will now turn their attention to the meeting with Smouha as they seek to maintain their early position near the top of the table.

Delfi, meanwhile, are preparing to begin their Division Two (B) campaign. That competition is equivalent to the third tier of Egyptian football.

The friendly was held at Al Ahly’s traditional training and match venue, the مختار التتش Stadium, at the club’s Al Gezira headquarters. It followed a busy opening period for Al Ahly under head coach Hussein Ammouta, whose team secured a 2-0 league victory against ZED before overcoming Delfi by the same two-goal margin in Saturday’s preparation match.

With the league calendar now moving towards its third round, Al Ahly’s immediate focus is the meeting with Smouha on 3 September. Pyramids remain top on goal difference, while Al Ahly occupy second place with six points.