Ahly's Clean-Up Plan: Fixing the Gaps Before the Burundi Clash
5 octobre 2025
Match Report: Al Ahly 4-2 Kahraba Ismailia
Al Ahly emerged from a difficult spell with a convincing 4-2 league win over Kahraba Ismailia in the Egyptian Premier League’s tenth round. The hosts controlled most of the action and rode a four-goal burst to secure the victory.
Goals for Al Ahly came from Ahmed Nabil Coca at 17 minutes, Yassin Mar'i at 37, Mohamed Shreef at 50, and Ashraf Ben Sharqi at 73. The visitors answered through Moroccan winger Mohamed Onajjam at 57 and Mohamed El-Fayoumi at 38.
With the result, the Red Giants moved to 18 points, sitting third and narrowing the gap to leaders Masry and second-placed Zamalek, albeit with a game in hand.
Ahead of the Burundi trip
Interim coach Emad El-Nahas granted players three days off after the win, with training set to resume on Wednesday at the Muktar El-Tet Stadium. A friendly against a lower-division side or a youth squad is being considered to test the squad during the international window.
The national team schedule looms large: Egypt play Djibouti and Guinea-Bissau on October 8 and 12 in World Cup qualifying, adding to the squad’s already heavy load.
Return to Africa
Ahly prepares for a Burundian challenge against Eagles Noir on October 17 in the first leg of the CAF Champions League’s Round of 32. Eagles Noir had edged past Bas telecom of Djibouti to reach this stage.
The away leg in Burundi followed a goalless draw at home in the first encounter, and the Burundian side progressed on aggregate thanks to away goals in the previous rounds.
Injury and squad depth
El-Nahas admitted the team is stretched, with more than 22 players unavailable due to international duty or injuries. The absentees include first-team regulars such as Mohammed El Shennawi, Mostafa Shobier, Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Ahmed Nabil Coca, Marwan Attia, Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, and Ahmed Mustafa Zizo, alongside Aliou Diang and Mohamed Ali Ben Ramadan joining national teams from Africa. Shand, Yassin Mar'i, and Mohamed Magdi Afsha are with the second Egyptian squad for the Arab Cup, while Mohamed Abdel Rahman and Ahmed Abdeen are with the U20 World Cup squad in Chile.
Additionally, six players are sidelined by injuries: Ashraf Dari, Mohamed Shokri, Karim Fouad, Hussein El Shahat, Imam Ashour, and Slovenian Jinik Gradischar. To cover the shortages, Nahas is set to promote academy players to train with the first team.
Coach’s outlook
Speaking after the win, Nahas stressed that the result was deserved and highlighted the need to fix post-top fixtures' mistakes. He noted that subsequent fixtures after a derby are always challenging, but he is hopeful about the group’s readiness for Burundi and the continent’s stage. He also acknowledged the importance of luck in football and praised Ismailia’s strong performance while outlining the gaps to be addressed.
As the team awaits the international window and recovery time to regroup, the emphasis remains on a careful rebuild and tactical clarity to conquer Burundi and beyond.
Humor break
Punchline 1: If football had a spell checker, El-Nahas would never mistype “fix” again. Punchline 2: My wifi at the stadium has fewer dropped connections than our defense after a set piece—some things just don’t reconnect on the same day!
