Zizo scores twice as Al Ahly ease past Pharco FC in Egyptian League

Al Ahly cruised to a 4-1 victory over Pharco FC in the second round of the Egyptian Premier League on Friday, with Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed scoring twice and Mohamed Sherif reopening his account for the season.

Al Ahly head coach Jose Riveiro made several changes to the starting XI, bringing in Alio Dieng, Achraf Bencharki, Achraf Dari, and Karim Fouad, all of whom were benched during last week's 2-2 draw with Modern Sport.

The Red Eagles dominated the first half, with Sherif coming close to opening the scoring in the 9th minute with a powerful strike that grazed the bar.

However, just a minute later, Sherif made no mistake, scoring with a brilliant header from inside the area to give Al Ahly an early lead.

VAR denied a potential goal by Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan in the 16th minute, as Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane was ruled offside before providing the assist.

Zizo doubled the lead in the 21st minute, also with a header, as Al Ahly continued to assert their dominance, leading 2-0 at halftime.

In the second half, Zizo scored his second goal of the match and Al Ahly's third with a low-strike finish from inside the box, set up by a clever assist from Bencharki.

Pharco FC attempted a comeback, narrowly missing a chance in the 69th minute when Mohamed Fakhry’s strike skimmed past the left post.

A minute later, they pulled one back through Fakhri, who capitalized on a mistake by Al Ahly goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir to score into an empty net.

Riveiro made a series of substitutions to freshen up the squad, bringing on Gradisar, Koka, Ahmed Reda, and Taher Mohamed Taher.

Substitute Gradisar sealed the win for Al Ahly in the 81st minute, scoring into an empty net after a chase down of Pharco’s goalkeeper.

Al Ahly's right-back Mohamed Hany was shown a red card just before the final whistle, leaving the team to play the last minutes with 10 players.

The defending champion’s next match is scheduled for Monday, 25 August, against Ghazl El-Mahalla in the 4th matchday of the Egyptian Premier League.