Al Qanah snatch late victory over Ceramica Cleopatra after penalty drama

Al Qanah secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Ceramica Cleopatra in the opening round of the Egyptian Premier League after a match featuring three penalties and a winner deep into added time.

Ceramica Cleopatra took the lead through Mohamed Reda Bobo, but Ibrahim Samy equalised from the penalty spot before Mawuli Wayo scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time to complete Al Qanah’s comeback.

The result gives Al Qanah, newcomers to the Egyptian Premier League, an important victory in their first match of the campaign. Ceramica Cleopatra, meanwhile, were left to rue a missed second-half penalty after dominating much of the early scoring drama.

Ceramica Cleopatra were awarded the first penalty in the eighth minute when the ball struck the hand of Al Qanah player Moamen Mehdi.

Mohamed Reda Bobo took responsibility for the spot-kick, but his initial effort was saved. He was given the chance to retake the penalty and made no mistake at the second attempt, sending the ball into the net in the 10th minute.

Al Qanah responded at the beginning of the second half. They were awarded a penalty in the 50th minute after a handball involving Ceramica Cleopatra player Ahmed Hany.

Ibrahim Samy converted the opportunity to bring Al Qanah level and put the visitors back into the contest.

The match produced another major turning point 10 minutes later, when Ceramica Cleopatra were awarded their second penalty. The decision followed an incident involving Ahmed Hany and Mahmoud Shalata.

Bobo stepped up again, hoping to restore Ceramica Cleopatra’s advantage, but this time Al Qanah goalkeeper Mohamed Shaaban kept out the effort in the 62nd minute.

Al Qanah were reduced to 10 players five minutes later when Moamen Rady was shown a red card in the 67th minute.

Despite playing with a numerical disadvantage, Al Qanah continued to threaten and found the decisive goal in the closing seconds. In the seventh minute of added time, Mawuli Wayo broke clear and went through one-on-one with the Ceramica Cleopatra goalkeeper before finishing to secure the win.

The result marks an impressive start for Al Qanah in the Egyptian Premier League after their promotion to the competition.

Ceramica Cleopatra will look to respond when they face Al Ittihad on Friday in the second round. Al Qanah will also play on Friday, against El Gouna, as both sides continue their opening-weekend campaigns.