Al Ahly crashed out of the Egypt Capital Cup after a 2-1 home defeat to Talaea El Gaish at Al Salam Stadium on Thursday, in the seventh and final round of Group A.
The Red Devils had taken the lead through a brilliant strike from Slovenian forward Neci Gradisar in the 43rd minute, his powerful shot nestling into the net.
Talaea El Gaish hit back strongly after the break, with Mohamed Atef drawing his side level in the 58th minute with a superb effort that beat goalkeeper Hamza Alaa at his near post. Coach Gomaa Mashhour then injected fresh energy into his team with several substitutions, bringing on Jordanian midfielder Gaith Al-Midadhah in place of Islam Mohareb, along with Ahmed Tarek and Mohamed Hani.
The changes paid off as Fares Hatem fired home the winning goal in the 79th minute, completing the comeback and leaving Ahly unable to respond despite introducing Ahmed Abdelkader for Nejr Gradisar.
Talaea El Gaish secured top spot in the group with 13 points and booked their place in the quarterfinals, while Ahly, under Danish coach Jess Thorup, exited the competition in sixth place with just 6 points.
In Group B, Petrojet thrashed a youth-side Pyramids 7-0 to seal first place with 15 points.
