The Moroccan star Achraf Bencharki ignited the competition for the Egyptian Premier League title after leading his team Al Ahly to a big 3-0 victory over their traditional rival Zamalek, the league leaders, in the match held at Cairo International Stadium as part of the fifth round of the final stage of the competition.
Bencharki stood out remarkably by scoring two goals and assisting one, earning him the Man of the Match award.
Zamalek started the game with early attacking attempts, with Oday Al-Dabbagh taking a powerful shot, followed by attacks from Nasser Mansi, but the outstanding goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir made brilliant saves.
In the 18th minute, Achraf Bencharki opened the scoring for Al Ahly with a strong header that found the net behind goalkeeper Mahdi Suleiman. Before the end of the first half, specifically in the 31st minute, Bencharki led a well-organized counterattack and passed the ball to Hussein El Shahat who scored, ending the first half with Al Ahly leading 2-0.
During the second half, Zamalek tried to come back into the game and intensified their attacks but faced organized Al Ahly defense. In the 74th minute, Bencharki broke through alone towards the goal after a precise pass from Imam Ashour, scoring Al Ahly’s third goal and his second in the derby, thus confirming his dominance over the game and his deserved Man of the Match title.
With this deserved win, Al Ahly raised their tally to 47 points, occupying third place, while Zamalek’s points stagnated at 50, sharing the top spot with Pyramids with the same score. This close points race among the three clubs increases the intensity of the title competition in the remaining rounds of the crowning phase, promising fierce and exciting competition.
