Al Ahly held to 1-1 draw by Petrojet in Egyptian Premier League

Defending champions Al Ahly were held to a 1-1 draw by Petrojet in the 12th round of the Egyptian Premier League at the Military Academy Stadium on Wednesday.

Despite dominating possession early on, Al Ahly failed to create clear chances in the opening stages.

Petrojet took the lead after just 11 minutes when Hamed Hemdan headed home inside the area, capitalizing on a mistake by goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.

Achraf Bencharki came close to levelling in the 34th minute with a solo effort, but his shot rolled narrowly past the right post.

Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet nearly found the net a minute before halftime, his powerful strike rattling the crossbar to leave Petrojet 1-0 ahead at the break.

Al Ahly resumed their control after halftime, pressing for an equaliser.

Taher Mohamed Taher forced a strong save from Petrojet’s goalkeeper just two minutes after the restart.

Coach Jess Thorup introduced Nejc Gradišar after 58 minutes to replace Taher, and the substitute made an immediate impact, heading home the equaliser five minutes later from a Mohamed Hani cross.

Thorup later sent on Ahmed Abdel-Qader, Mohamed Magdi Afsha and Omar Kamal in search of a winner, but Al Ahly were unable to break the deadlock as referee Mahmoud Basyouni’s final whistle confirmed a 1-1 draw.

The result leaves Al Ahly on 22 points with a game in hand, while Petrojet move to 15 points from 10 matches.