Misr EL Maqassa stops Al Ahly winning streak | VIDEO
Last season’s runners-up Maqassa claimed the scalp of another illustrious opponents, handing defending champions Ahly their first Egyptian Premier League defeat in 46 matches following a 3-2 win in a thrilling game on Sunday.
Maqassa, who continued their resurgence under coach Emad Soliman following a poor start to the season, could not have hoped for a better start when the league’s top scorer Hussein El-Shahat opened the scoring after 24 minutes, sending home an unstoppable half-volley.
He took his tally to nine goals amid local reports linking him with a move to Ahly.
The Cairo giants leveled the score on the stroke of halftime, thanks to a penalty from spot-kick specialist Abdallah El-Said, but Maqassa went 2-1 up four minutes past the hour mark after Malagasy forward Paulin Voavy rounded off a fine move.
Ghanaian striker John Antwi, an ex-Ahly striker, converted a penalty to make it 3-1 but Moroccan striker Walid Azaro narrowed the deficit with a simple finish for his sixth goal of the season.
Ahly piled on pressure in the dying stages but could not find the equaliser, wasting a plethora of easy chances. They also finished with ten men after substitute Saleh Gomaa was dismissed for a second bookable offense.
Maqassa, who also defeated Ahly’s Cairo rivals Zamalek 3-1, moved seventh after continuing their superb run under Soliman, who has presided over five wins and two draws in seven matches after taking over in October.
Ahly missed out on the chance of overtaking Ismaily on top. They remain second in the table with 25 points, two behind Ismaily who played two matches more.
The last time Egypt and Africa’s most successful outfit lost in the league was in June, 2016 when they slumped to a 3-2 defeat by Masry.
Match Facts:
Full time: Maqassa 3-2 Ahly
Scorers: Hussein El-Shahat 24, Paulin Voavy 63, John Antwi 73 (pen) / Abdallah El-Saed 45 (pen), Walid Azaro 74
Yellow cards:
Mohamed Toni, John Antwi, Hussein El-Shahat (Maqassa)
Saleh Gomaa (Ahly)
Red card:
Saleh Gomaa (Ahly)
Watch the goals here:
Match Highlights:
