Ismaili claimed a vital 1-0 win over Telecom Egypt in the Egyptian Premier at Military Academy Stadium on Monday to keep the title hanging in the balance. Mohamed Mohsen Abou-Greisha hit the sole goal seven minutes after the half-hour mark. Having won the game, Ricardo Ferreira's team retained second place with 60 points, only several goals behind leaders Ahli, who concurrently beat Harras Hodoud 1-0. Relegation-threatened Telecom are now in an unenviable situation, as they remained third from bottom with 29 points. Ahli and Ismaili have one remaining match each, and they will meet in a decisive play-off if they remain level on points till the end of the season. Pacy Start The match witnessed a pacy start, with both teams trying to hit an early opener. Ismaili's Omar Gamal was stretchered off after 10 minutes upon sustaining what appeared to be a serious injury, and made way for Mohab Saied as a result. Abdullah Al-Saied was the first to threaten Telecom with a left-footed fierce drive from outside the area, but Amir Tawfik, whose performance was impressive, parried it away. Ugandan forward Geoffrey Massa penetrated the Dervishes' penalty area after feinting past Sherif Abdul-Fadil from the right flank, but his poor cross ended up in Mohamed Sobhi's palms. Two minutes from the half-hour mark, Mostafa Karim skillfully eluded Telecom's defenders to release a powerful shot, but Tawfik competently blocked it. Attack-minded midfielder Al-Saied had a similar opportunity two minutes later, but his low indirect free-kick was denied by the Telecom custodian.
Abou-Greisha Shortly after, Ibrahim Yehia unleashed a fiery shot, again Tawfik saved it with great dexterity. In the last ten minutes, Telecom piled up pressure upfront, but couldn't pose tangible threat on the coastal side. Abou-Greisha skillfully headed home Samir Farag's diagonal inch-perfect cross from the left to fire the visitors ahead. Clear-cut Chances Although the second half didn't witness any goals, both teams had several more clear-cut chances. Telecom were close to bringing the score level on 67 minutes, when Amr Anwar headed Ahmed Omran's cross, but Sobhi saved it. John Gambo could have doubled Ismaili's lead when he went one-on-one with Tawfik, but the latter bravely stopped him. In an identical chance, Massa didn't get rewarded for his theatrical dive inside the area. Deep into injury time, Mohamed Hommos cannoned a nice shot that was denied by the fully-fit Tawfik. The match's goal
