Al Ahly held to 3-3 draw by Canal SC in Egyptian Premier League
Al Ahly were held to a 3-3 draw by Canal on Wednesday in the seventh round of the Egyptian Premier League at Cairo International Stadium.
Al Ahly dominated the game from the outset and created their first real scoring opportunity in the ninth minute, when Monsef Bakrar played a through ball to Ahmed Sayed Zizo inside the penalty area.
Zizo fired a shot, but his effort was straight at Canal goalkeeper Mohamed Shaaban, who made the save.
Midfielder Omar El Saaiy opened the scoring in the 18th minute, meeting a well-placed cross from Mohamed Hany on the right flank before firing the ball into the far bottom corner.
Mahmoud Hany equalized for Canal in the 34th minute, finding space inside the penalty area before finishing to bring his side level.
Achraf Bencharki restored Al Ahly’s lead in the 43rd minute, converting a well-placed assist from left-back Tawfik Mohamed as the Moroccan winger put the ball into the net.
Canal drew level again through Hazem Abou Sena in the 54th minute before Al Ahly defender Yassine Marie scored an own goal 10 minutes from full-time, handing Canal their first lead of the match.
Al Ahly coach Hussien Ammouta responded by introducing Mohamed Magdi Afsha and Hussein El Shahat in place of Emam Ashour and Ahmed Sayed Zizo, respectively, in an attempt to bolster his side’s attacking threat.
He also brought on Aly Mahmoud and Soufiane Benjdida for Omar El Saaiy and Monsef Bakrar.
As the match entered five minutes of stoppage time, Al Ahly continued to dominate possession in search of an equalizer.
In the final minute of added time, Achraf Dari rose to meet a cross with a powerful header from inside the penalty area, sending the ball over the goal line to rescue a draw for Al Ahly.
Following Wednesday’s draw, Al Ahly have 17 points from seven matches in the domestic competition.
Al Ahly’s next fixture will be against Uganda’s Kitara FC in the second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round on Sunday.
The Red Eagles won the first leg 2-1 in Uganda last week.
