Al Ahly bleeds more points against Wadi Degla | VIDEO
An off-form Ahly side failed to close the gap on league leaders Ismaily after being held to a 1-1 draw by Wadi Degla on Monday, with the Reds yet to end their poor run.
Abdallah El-Said gave Ahly the lead upon converting a penalty on the hour mark, but Ahmed El-Shennawi netted the equalizer one minute later.
Defending champions Ahly, who have lost seven points in the last three games, are now second in the league table with 30 points, four behind leaders Ismaily. Ahly still have two matches in hand.
Despite having the upper hand in terms of ball possession, the Cairo giants lacked cutting-edge against a solid Degla side.
El-Said could have scored after only 15 minutes with a powerful shot only to see his effort go wide.
The international playmaker came close to scoring again with a free-kick in the 50th minute but Degla’s veteran keeper Mohamed Abdel-Monsef blocked it in style.
Two minutes later, Degla’s winger Mohamed Sherif cannoned a shot from outside the area to be denied by the bar.
Ahly’s Moroccan striker Walid Azaro won the penalty that was converted by El-Said, when defender Mohamed Sherif tackled him inside the area.
El-Shennawi leveled the score with a shot from 30 meters that deflected off a challenger and into the net.
Ahly’s coach Hossam El-Badry tried to intensify his attack by introducing trio Saleh Gomaa, Eslam Mohareb and Ahmed Yasser Rayan, replacing Amr El-Sulaya, Ahmed El-Sheikh and Moemen Zakareya respectively. The substitutions barely made a difference.
An organized defense from Degla was capable of keeping Ahlys strikers at bay till the end of the game.
