Al Ahly turned their Egyptian Premier League opening match from an early nightmare into a dramatic victory, after overturning a two-goal deficit against Sharqia ENPPI to win 3-2 at Cairo International Stadium, collecting their first three points of the season in a match that remained wide open until the final whistle.
ENPPI entered the match with great courage, as Ali Ehab opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Just three minutes later, the petroleum side earned a penalty, but Mohamed Hamdy Ibrahim missed the chance to deliver an early heavy blow to Al Ahly by firing the ball wide of the target.
The visitors were unfazed by the missed penalty and quickly added a second goal through Mohamed Essam in the 25th minute, leaving Al Ahly trailing by two goals in under half an hour amid clear defensive disarray and a shocking start to the new campaign.
The signs of a comeback began to emerge in the 34th minute when Marwan Attia narrowed the gap and brought the hosts back into the game before halftime. Al Ahly then applied relentless attacking pressure in the second half, seeking an equalizer and looking to rescue their domestic kickoff.
The match’s most crucial moment arrived when the referee awarded Al Ahly a penalty following Ashraf Bencharki’s fall inside the box, sparking widespread debate regarding the validity of the decision and whether the contact warranted a foul. Ahmed Sayed Zizo successfully converted the spot-kick to restore parity.
From that moment, the Red Devils completed their comeback, as substitute Mohamed Magdy “Afsha” scored the third goal to seal the 3-2 “remontada.”
While the comeback provided Al Ahly with a crucial morale-boosting victory, it simultaneously exposed defensive vulnerabilities that nearly cost them points on matchday one—especially given that ENPPI scored twice and missed a penalty within the opening 25 minutes.
Al Ahly’s victory came during a round that saw league defenders Zamalek stumble to a goalless draw against Al Ittihad Alexandria, whereas Pyramids sent a strong message to their rivals with a commanding 3-0 win over Ghazl El Mahalla.
Al Ahly face their next test against ZED FC on Friday evening, August 28, at Cairo International Stadium, aiming to build on their comeback spirit while avoiding the shaky start experienced against ENPPI.
