Ittihad Alexandria edge past Petrol Asyut in Egyptian League week four

Ittihad Alexandria secured a 1-0 victory over Petrol Asyut in the Egyptian League, with Nour Alaa El Din scoring the only goal of the match during the second half.

The decisive moment came after Petrol Asyut’s defence lost its shape. Yousry Waheed advanced towards the penalty area before finding Nour Alaa El Din on the left. The Ittihad player kept his finish low and sent the ball into the left side of the net.

The goal put Ittihad ahead after a match in which they controlled much of the possession but were repeatedly tested by their opponents. The final stages included further substitutions for Ittihad Alexandria, who made their fourth and fifth changes after taking the lead.

Ittihad had enjoyed 71% possession during the opening 15 minutes, with Petrol Asyut holding 29%. Despite that dominance, neither side created a clear breakthrough early on. Ahmed Younes delivered a corner from the right for Petrol Asyut, but the ball passed beyond everyone, while Abdel Rahman El-Khamisy saw a cross from the right blocked and deflected out for a throw-in.

Che Bondi sent a low effort from outside the area towards the Ittihad goal, although the shot lacked power and was comfortably gathered by goalkeeper Sobhi Soliman. Ittihad responded through Joseph Arumala, who tried to work his way down the left, but the Petrol Asyut defence regained possession and cleared the danger.

Pascal Fery also sent a cross from the right towards Hossam Hassan, but a defender intercepted before the ball could reach the Ittihad forward. Hossam Hassan later tested Petrol Asyut goalkeeper Amgad Youssef with a shot from outside the penalty area, which was saved in the centre of the goal.

Both teams reached the interval level, with the shot count even at two apiece and the corner count also standing at 2-2. Ittihad attempted to build from deep while Petrol Asyut looked to press their opponents and force mistakes.

The second half began with Ittihad continuing to have more of the ball. Ahmed Khaled came close to giving Petrol Asyut the lead when he met a pass from Ahmed Younes with a right-footed effort from close range. Soliman reacted sharply to keep the shot out at the bottom-right corner.

Ismail Ashraf then struck powerfully from the right side of the area, but Soliman again made the save. Ittihad responded with a chance for Hossam Hassan, whose effort from the right narrowly missed the post.

The match was briefly stopped after Soliman required treatment following a challenge. A Petrol Asyut player was booked for the foul, while Ittihad also received a yellow card for an intervention on Ismail Ashraf. Petrol Asyut captain was cautioned for protesting a decision, and another player was booked after a heavy challenge on Khaled Masad.

Ittihad eventually broke the deadlock through Nour Alaa El Din, despite Petrol Asyut having registered four shots to Ittihad’s three at that stage. The visitors continued to threaten through Ismail Ashraf, Ziad Tarek and Mahmoud Awkal, but their deliveries were either blocked by defenders or failed to find a teammate.

The referee added two minutes of stoppage time. Hossam Hassan was caught offside, while a cross from Joseph Arumala was deflected away. Petrol Asyut also had to deal with an injury stoppage involving Abdel Rahman El-Khamisy.

Khaled Masad sent a long free-kick over everyone and out for a goal kick, before seeing a corner from the right safely collected by Amgad Youssef. Moamen Awad also delivered set-pieces for Ittihad, but one cross went harmlessly wide and another ended with a foul awarded to Petrol Asyut.

The result gives Ittihad Alexandria a narrow victory in week four, while Petrol Asyut were left to reflect on missed opportunities after Soliman’s important saves kept the match goalless until Nour Alaa El Din’s second-half finish.