Luis Miquissone goal gave Ahly a 1-0 victory over Ittihad of Alexandria as they maintained their lead on top of the Egyptian Premier League table on Wednesday.
The Mozambican winger, who made a rare start, scored the winner on 35 minutes after South African forward Percy Tau had earlier missed a penalty to take his tally to three league goals in nine appearances.
Ahly, who mounted an onslaught in the first half, eased off after the break and Ittihad had a goal chalked off for offside after a VAR review in the second period.
The Red Devils, buoyant after reaching the African Champions League quarter-final, top the domestic league table on 31 points, three ahead of title holders Zamalek and four clear of Pyramids, with the latter duo having played a game more.
The first half was, as expected, a one-way traffic as Ittihad put 10 men behind the ball and Ahly laid siege to their area.
Ahly had a chance to go ahead on 18 minutes when they were awarded a penalty for a handball on Ittihad’s Burkinabe midfielder Saidu Simpore, only for Tau to strike the post with a powerful kick.
Miquissone, who joined Ahly last summer from Tanzania’s Simba, then gave the hosts a deserved lead with an unstoppable effort from just inside the area after a shot from Hussein El-Shahat was blocked.
El-Shahat was also thwarted by 45-year-old keeper Mohamed Abdel-Monsef from close range before Ittihad threw caution to the wind and pushed forward after the break.
An own goal was disallowed for offside and Ittihad also had a strong penalty claim waved away by the referee but Ahly held on to continue their superb league run, which saw them win 10 out of their first 11 games, drawing only once.
