Al Ahly edge Haras El Hodoud in five-goal thriller ahead of Cairo Derby

Al Ahly continued their push to recover form in the Nile Egyptian League with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Haras El Hodoud on Tuesday.

The defending champions made the perfect start when Slovenian forward Nejc Gradisar unleashed a thunderous strike from distance to beat goalkeeper Mahmoud El Zonfoly inside three minutes.

However, Haras El Hodoud responded quickly as Mohamed Hamdy Zaki converted a low cross from the left in the 8th minute to level the score.

The breakthrough came again right before half-time. In the final minute of the first half, Al Ahly were awarded a penalty after Yassin Marai was brought down inside the area. Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” stepped up and slotted it home to restore the lead for the Red Devils.

The second half was thrilling too. In the 54th minute, Al Ahly were left stunned when Taher Mohamed Taher deflected the ball into his own net from a corner, gifting El Hodoud their second equalizer.

The decisive moment arrived in the 79th minute. Trezeguet’s powerful effort struck the post and fell kindly to Yasser Ibrahim, who smashed home the rebound. After a VAR review, the goal was confirmed and proved to be the winner.

Al Ahly held on in the closing stages to secure all three points, moving up to 12 points and fourth place in the standings. Haras El Hodoud remain on 8 points, sitting 13th.

This was Al Ahly’s final league test before their highly anticipated Cairo Derby against Zamalek, scheduled for next Monday at Cairo International Stadium in Round 9 of the competition.

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