Al-Ahly Draws with Mountain Wolves in Dramatic Clash
Al-Ahly threw everything at Arab Contractors under the lights at Arab Contractors Stadium, but left with only a 1-1 draw on a night that had almost everything: a shock opener, a comeback, a disallowed goal, and a worrying injury.
The Mountain Wolves struck first. Islam Gaber, the home side’s standout name, silenced the Reds in the 38th minute, before Ahmed Sayed "Zizo" dragged Al-Ahly level from the spot early in the second half. After that, chaos. Then frustration. And finally, a point apiece.
Mountain Wolves Bite First
Al-Ahly started as if they meant to put the game away early.
Soufiane Bendebka let fly from distance with the first real effort, his shot skidding wide. Zizo followed up with a vicious, swinging corner that forced the Arab Contractors defence into emergency mode, scrambling clear.
The pressure was there. The threat wasn’t. For all of Al-Ahly’s possession, the match drifted without a shot on target until the 20th minute. Then the home side exploded into life.
Arab Contractors carved out the game’s clearest opening when their striker burst through one-on-one, only for Amr El-Gazzar to bail Al-Ahly out with a vital intervention. It felt like a warning. It was more than that.
Minutes later, the referee pointed straight to the spot after Omar Kamal Abdelwahed committed a foul inside the area. No hesitation, no debate. Islam Gaber stepped up, stared down the moment, and buried his penalty in the 38th minute to hand Arab Contractors a shock lead and score the first goal past Al-Ahly on the night.
The stadium shifted. The Mountain Wolves sensed something big.
Al-Ahly tried to hit back before the break. El-Gazzar surged forward and met a cross in stoppage time, only to send his header wide when he had to score. The whistle went with Arab Contractors still clinging to their clean advantage, and the league giants walking off a goal down and visibly rattled.
Injury, Penalties, and a Goal Ruled Out
The second half barely had time to settle before it delivered its first hammer blow.
In the 49th minute, disaster struck for Al-Ahly as Amr El-Gazzar suffered a serious injury that forced him off. On a night when they needed calm heads and sharp finishing, they lost one of their key figures just as they tried to turn the screw.
Still, the Reds pushed.
Mohamed Beker almost unlocked the defence with a pass fizzed toward Achraf Bencharki in the box, but the ball ran away from the Moroccan, too heavy to control. It felt like another chance slipping by.
Then Bencharki took matters into his own hands. He drove at the Arab Contractors backline, weaving through challenges, until a violent tackle from Khaled Abdelfattah brought him crashing down inside the area in the 55th minute. Another penalty. Another huge moment.
Zizo grabbed it.
Cool, clinical, he sent the keeper the wrong way in the 57th minute to drag Al-Ahly level and reset the contest. One-all, and suddenly the noise belonged to the away end.
The momentum surged again just seconds later.
Emam Ashour stepped onto the pitch in the 58th minute, making his first appearance in 112 days. His last outing for the Reds had come against Al-Masry at the end of the 2025/2026 Egyptian Premier League season. His return alone lifted the tempo, the crowd, and Al-Ahly’s belief.
And then came the flashpoint.
In the 62nd minute, Mohamed Beker thought he had completed the turnaround, firing in what looked like Al-Ahly’s second goal. The celebrations were cut short. The flag went up, and the referee ruled it out for offside. From delirium to disbelief in seconds.
That decision allowed Arab Contractors to reset, dig in, and protect a result that suddenly felt precious.
Ashour’s Near Miss and a Point That Feels Like Two Lost
After the equaliser and the disallowed goal, the match cooled without ever losing its edge. Both sides searched for a late winner, but the clean, clear chances dried up.
Al-Ahly probed. Arab Contractors held their shape, content to absorb pressure and wait for the final whistle.
Real danger finally reappeared in the 88th minute, and it fell to the man everyone had been watching since he came on. Emam Ashour found a pocket of space and unleashed a superb effort from range. The strike had the keeper beaten, but it rose just a few centimetres too high, skimming over the bar and with it, Al-Ahly’s best chance to kill the game.
Arab Contractors survived. The Mountain Wolves walked away with a hard-earned draw that will feel like a victory in their dressing room.
For Al-Ahly, it’s a night of mixed emotions: a comeback, a key player injured, a goal ruled out, and two points that might matter when the title race tightens.
