El Gouna Deepens Union's Wounds; Petrojet and ZED Win Again

Round highlights

In a lively Sunday in the Egyptian Premier League, El Gouna FC defeated Al Ittihad Alexandria 2-0 at the Alexandria Stadium. A red card for Karim El Deb at 39 disrupted the hosts, while Marwan Mohsen converted a late penalty at 45+7 to put the visitors ahead. Adham Kam Kam? (note: corrected in English version: Adham Ezzeldin) scored a second, sweeping the points for Gouna at 90+6 as they climbed to 18 points, 9th in the table.

Earlier in the same round, Petrojet beat Haras El Hodoud 3-1 at the Military College Stadium. Seko Sonko opened the scoring for Petrojet in the 16th minute; Ibrahim Abdel Hakim equalized for Haras at 60. The turning point came with Adham Hamed’s 90+1 strike and Abdullah Diabat’s stoppage-time clincher at 90+3, sealing a valuable three points for the Portrulers.

Meanwhile, ZED FC edged Electricity of Ismailia 2-1. Abdulrahman Banoubi put ZED in front in the 42nd minute, while Ali Suleiman equalized for Ismailia from a 66th-minute spot kick. Ahmed Atef fired the late winner for ZED at 90+4, giving the Beni Suef-born side a hard-fought win and pushing their tally to 20 points in seventh place. The clash also featured several refereeing decisions that affected the scoreline, including two goals canceled for ZED and one for the Electricity.

In the same evening, Al Ittihad’s coach Tamer Mustafa faced a tough post-match reality as the team slipped to a challenging position, while Gouna’s boss Ahmed Mustafa “Beibo” celebrated the squad’s continued improvement after securing 18 points and remaining in the top half of the table.

Lastly, the round’s other notable developments saw discussions around potential changes in coaching staff, with Haras El Hodoud’s interim manager Ahmad Zahran and talks about bringing in Tariq Al-Eshri to stabilize the side during the upcoming stop in fixtures.

Context and league format

The league continues this season with an unusual setup featuring 21 teams. The first half runs in a traditional format, while the second half splits the clubs into two groups, determining the title contenders and relegation battlers. The top group will vie for continental spots, while the lower group faces a tight battle to avoid drop, with movement and surprises likely as the season progresses.

Upcoming fixtures will close this round, including matches like Al Ahly vs. San? (note: placeholder avoided—actual schedule may vary) and other key clashes that will shape the table as teams head toward the mid-season pause.

The managerials and squad rotations will be watched closely as clubs reassess before the African Cup of Nations preparations and the second-phase group stage begins, promising more drama and late goals as teams chase European and domestic glory.

Punchline 1: If football had a shopping list, this round would be marked “urgent: add goalkeepers with extra minutes.”

Punchline 2: My betting app says the only thing louder than the crowd is the whistle—or maybe it’s just the referee’s own ringtone giggling at us.