Late Drama in Egypt's Top Flight: Ahly's Penalty Pain Ends Goalless as Ceramica Triumphs

Al Ahly stumbled to a goalless draw with Al Masry at the Burj Al Arab Stadium in Alexandria, the Reds' second straight stalemate in the Egyptian Premier League.

Ahmed Sayed Zizou, Al Ahly's forward, wasted a dramatic late penalty in the 90+5 minute, denying his side a stoppage-time winner.

Under Danish coach Yus Thorup, Al Ahly moved up to 23 points in second place, while Al Masry, led by Tunisian manager Nabil Kouki, climbed to 20 points in fifth after an eventful, hard-fought affair.

First Half

The opening period featured an attacking burst from Masry, with a cross that El Shennawy gathered, while a shot by Munther Tamim flashed wide.

The Reds pressed quickly, with Zizou delivering a cross that a teammate headed over, while Mahmoud Trezigui's attempt narrowly missed the target.

Al Ahly's pressure continued as Masry defended, a precise pass creating a dangerous moment but the shot struck the keeper and was cleared.

Khaled Safi cleared a rebound near the goal, and a near-miss for the Reds after a cross headed by Gradyshar was stopped by the goalkeeper.

A potential goal was prevented as Gradychar's cross seemed to cross the line before being cleared, and the referee checked video but ruled there was no goal.

Al Masry then brought on Karim Al-Iraqi after Eid's injury, and Tahir's shot went over near the break as a flat first half ended goalless.

Second Half

In the second half, Al Ahly introduced Ahmed Abd Al-Qaeder for Taaher, and the Reds increased their tempo as Masry looked to protect the point, with Algerian winger Abdel Rahim Dugom making an impact.

Mohamed Hani delivered a cross after a pass from Ahmed Abd Qader, but Masry's defense cleared the danger, as Koka's fast break was halted by Yasser Ibrahim.

Abd Qader fired a simple effort into the keeper's hands, and Hany tried again, saved by the Masry keeper.

Danish coach Yus Thorup re-shuffled the lineup, bringing on Moroccan Achraf Ben Cherki and Mohammed Shukri for Trezigui and Diang.

In the Masri dugout, Tunisian coach Nabil Kouki also made changes, adding Omar Al-Saii alongside Ahmed Al-Qarmouti and Kingsley Edouah.

The Red pressure mounted in the final quarter-hour; a defender's foul sparked a late penalty, but the referee spotted offside, and Al Ahly then sent on Mohamed Abdullah for Gradyshar and Mohamed Magdi 'Afsha' for Kouka.

Late in the match, a penalty was awarded to Al Ahly only to be chalked off for offside, and substitutes entered: Mohamed Abdullah for Gradyshar and Mohamed Magdi 'Afsha' for Kouka.

A breakaway by Mohamed Abdullah yielded a shot that skimmed the post; referee Amin Omar then awarded a late penalty in 90+5 after a foul on Zizou.

Zizou, the taker, blasted the spot-kick over the bar as the drama fizzled, and Al Ahly failed to convert again.

Ceramica Cleopatra's Comeback

Ceramica Cleopatra, meanwhile, staged a dramatic comeback in Ismailia, beating Petrojet 2-1.

Mustapha Al-Badri opened the scoring for Petrojet in the 18th minute, while Nigerian striker Ifeoluwa Egbo equalized in the 92nd minute and then struck a superb late winner in the 90+9.

Khaled Waleed Nideef received a red card late for Ceramica.

Ceramica, under coach Ali Maher, stretched their advantage at the top of the Egyptian League to 26 points after 12 matches, three points clear of defending champions Al Ahly.

Ceramica are set to face Al Ahly in the Egyptian Super Cup semi-final in the UAE on Thursday, while Pyramids meet Zamalek in the same stage.

Petrojet, coached by Sid Eid, sit 13th with 15 points after a display packed with grit.