Ahly winger Karim Fouad produced a dazzling performance on Wednesday, helping his side rout newly-promoted side Dakhleya 4-1 in a league game at Suez stadium.
The 23-year-old scored twice and assisted with two others goals, lifting his side to join Ittihad of Alexandria on the league summit with a maximum nine points.
Ahly needed only two minutes to open the scoring. Karim Fouad eased past his challenger on the right flank and pulled the ball back to Mohamed Sherif, who scored easily.
Four minutes later, midfielder Hamdi Fathi was on the rebound from a poor save from the Dakhleya keeper, who failed to block a powerful shot from Karim Fouad into an empty net.
It seemed an easy affair for the 42-time Egyptian champion, but Funom Alfred narrowed the gap in the 13th minute when he followed a rebounded ball from Ahly keeper Mohamed El-Shennawi.
Fouad had the chance to score twice but he squandered two easy chances in the 26th and 30th minutes.
The lively winger was rewarded for his efforts in the second half as he scored twice in the 47th and 53rd minutes.
Fouad received a nice pass from playmaker Mohamed ‘Afsha’ Magdi to send a well-placed shot that went to the bottom of the net.
Afsha cleared Fouad later to add the fourth goal with a nice shot from inside the area.
He scored the third goal but it was canceled in the 73rd minute after a VAR check
Karim Fouad joined Ahly in the summer of 2021 but he fell out of favor with former coach Pitso Mosimane.
Portuguese coach Ricardo Soares, who replaced Mosimane, gave Fouad a chance during his short spell at the end of the last season.
Ahly’s current coach Marcel Koller followed the footsteps of his predecessor, giving his winger the chance to play.
He used him as a second-half substitute against Ismaily in the league opener and he provided the only goal of the game, similar to the Egypt Super Cup when he scored Ahly’s second goal during the game a few minutes after his entrance.
