Two stoppage-time goals from Ahmed Fathi and Mohamed Talaat earned Ahli a precious 3-1 win over Gaish on Wednesday to revive their league hopes by setting up a decisive playoff with Ismaili. Upon claiming all three points, Ahli remained on top of the table with 63 points, only several goals ahead of Ismaili, who concurrently beat Tersana 3-0 to stay equal on points with the defending champions. Ahmed Abdullah opened the scoring on 51 minutes to fire Gaish upfront but Mohamed Abou-Treika leveled five minutes past the hour-mark. Fathi hit a screamer on 95 minutes, and second-period substitute Talaat ensured Ahli's superiority with a third goal few moments later. The game was shamefully ended by a scuffle when some of Gaish players surrounded the referee appearing to bully him, and a multitude of security men intervened. Goalless First Half Ahli gradually took control of the game in the goalless first half, in terms of ball possession. In the first ten minutes, they depended on crosses from both sides, but striker Flavio Amado, renowned for his stunning headers, was closely marked. Gaish goalie Gharib Hafez also played an integral part to keep a clean sheet for more than an hour. The visitors in return tried to be dangerous on the counter attack, but rarely reached Ahli's penalty area with poorly-constructed attempts. Both Abou-Treika and Gilberto tried to convert a free-kick each right in front of the area over the first 20 minutes, but they missed the target. Two minutes after the half-hour mark, Ahmed Hassan tried his luck from the edge of the area, but his fierce drive drifted wide of the mark. In what was arguably the closest chance in the first period, Hassan squandered a one-on-one opportunity when he tried to slide in past the keeper from point-blank range, but he missed the target. Ahmed Al-Sayed was also about to snatch a goal just before the interval, but his header went high over the crossbar. Set Alight After the interval, Ahli were close to breaking the deadlock when Flavio capitalized on a deadly Amer Sabri Blunder to go clear on goal, but the post prevented him from hitting an opener. Seconds later, Al-Sayed's well-placed shot was skillfully parried away by Hafez, and the game was set alight. However, Gaish were fired up front when Abdullah rounded off a counter attack with a precise shot that ended in the right corner of the net. Ahli were in an unenviable situation, with Ismaili taking the lead in their game against Tersana. Manuel Jose's men took a stranglehold on the game and piled up pressure upfront, but their misfiring frontline was kept at bay by Gaish defenders. Playmaker Abou-Treika was so desperate to try one of his notorious theatrical dives, but the referee didn't fall for his crude trick. Ahli plotted an all-attack strategy to ensure their chances of overturning the one-goal deficit and revive their title hopes. Abou-Treika brought the score level after heading home Sayed Moawad's diagonal cross. The majority of Gaish players raised strong objection against the referee for allowing the goal, as Osama Hosni made a slight contact with one of their defenders in the box. Ahli intensified their attack after the equalizer to notch a second, but their stubborn opponents kept up the fighting spirit. Fathi hit a stunner with a superb clinical finish from inside the area after he feinted past a Gaish defender. Talaat made sure of the win after chipping over the goalie.
