Draws Rule the Weekend: Wadi Degla Emerges as the Dark Horse in Egypt's Premier League

Round Nine Draws Shake Up the Egyptian Premier League

Draws dictated Sunday’s fixtures in the ninth round of the Egyptian Premier League, marking a notable pattern this season.

After Farco failed to clinch its first win, settling for a 1-1 draw with Modern Sport at Cairo Stadium earlier, the same ending repeated itself in the Ghazl El Mahalla vs Enppi clash and in the Wadi Degla vs Smouha match.

Yet despite the pair of stalemates, Wadi Degla moved up the table and earned the status of the season’s dark horse, challenging the title contenders.

Ghazl El Mahalla vs Enppi: A Goalless Affair

Ghazl El Mahalla returned to its trend of draws, hosting Enppi to a goalless stalemate at Mahalla Stadium.

The game suffered a setback early when Ivorian midfielder Mory Toure suffered an injury, a development that had observers whispering about a potential move to clubs like Espérance de Tunis or Wydad Casablanca.

Mahalla brought Basem Walid on as a substitute for the injured Toure, while Emad Mehoub also went off and Samuel Aladi took his place. The home side fired 14 attempts but could not find the back of the net.

With this result, Ghazl El Mahalla collected 10 points and sat 13th in the table, recording their seventh draw of the season—the most draws in the league so far for the coach Alaa Abdel Aal’s side.

Enppi’s tally rose to 14 points under coach Alaa Abdel Aal after three wins, five draws, and one defeat.

This game marked the sixth goalless draw for Mahalla in nine matches this season, a statistic drawing attention to the team’s offensive shape under Alaa Abdel Aal.

Enppi coach Hamza Jamal said he was content with the point, noting that his side faced a strong opponent on their home ground and that both teams were keen to win.

Jamal added that Enppi is not chasing a top-six finish solely; the focus remains on staying in the league and aiming for a place among the top seven.

Wadi Degla: The Black Horse

Meanwhile, Wadi Degla drew 1-1 at home with Smouha at the Peace Stadium in Cairo. Degla took the lead through their Ivory Coast forward Frank Boly in the 50th minute, his second consecutive goal in as many games.

Smouha equalized through Samir Fekry in the 58th minute, with the match featuring several Degla attempts and key saves from Smouha goalkeeper Ahmed Mihoub.

Degla, under coach Mohamed Sheikh, impressed with results this season after a return from the second division, including a goalless draw with Pyramids and a victory over the league leaders.

Degla’s points rose to 15, placing them third, with three draws, four wins, and two losses.

Smouha climbed to 11 points in 11th, under coach Ahmed Abdel-Aziz.

The Big One: Premier League Derby Preview

Fans are looking forward to the weekend’s big clash between Al Ahly and Zamalek, set for tomorrow in Cairo, with Zamalek leading the standings on 17 points and Al Ahly on 12.

Also on tap: Ismaily vs Bank Al Ahly, and Gouna vs Ceramica Cleopatra.

Al Ahly will lean on the form of Mahmoud Hassan “Trezegue,” Taher Mohamed Taher, Moroccan star Ashraf Ben Sharqi, and Tunisian Mohamed Ali Ben Ramadan, while injuries spare Ahmed Zizo and Niets Ghradi from action.

Meanwhile, Zamalek will count on the form of Brazilian Joao Alvina, Palestinian Adi Dabagh, Abdulrahman Said, and Nasser Maher, with Angola’s Chico Banza missing for technical reasons and midfield ace Mohamed Shahat sidelined by injury.

In sum, the Egyptian championship continues to surprise, with the table tightening and the season promising more twists than a telenovela.

Punchline 1: If this season had a sponsor, it would be “Patch 1.0: Avoid the Net.”

Punchline 2: The ball seems to prefer a couch to a net—slow to leave the goal, quicker to settle for a draw.