ENPPI wasted an opportunity to earn a commanding first-leg advantage over Stade Malien after being held to a 2-2 home draw in the African Confederation Cup semi final on Saturday. Stade Malien took a surprising lead through an Ousmane Bagayoko goal but Adel Mostafa converted a penalty to level the score four minutes before the break. Ahmed Al-Muhammadi put ENPPI ahead seven minutes after the restart. Diaa Al-Sayed's side, aiming to become the first Egyptian team to win Africa's secondary competition, then squandered a host of clear-cut chances that could have given them a comfortable victory. They were punished when Bakary Coulibaly struck on 72 minutes after a dreadful blunder from keeper Amer Mohamed as Stade Malien, who will host ENPPI in the second leg in a fortnight, secured a valuable draw. Bagayoko stunned the home crowd midway through the first half when some slack marking allowed him to break clear of defense and slot home.
ENPPI piled on pressure and managed to restore parity in the 41st minute. Midfielder Mostafa, who set up plenty of attacks for the hosts, was felled in the area to score from the ensuing penalty. ENPPI, who won their only title in 2005 when they defeated Ittihad in the Egyptian Cup final, maintained their domination in the second period but lacked the cutting edge. Lively winger Al-Muhammadi, who acted as a playmaker, blasted over with the goal at his mercy shortly after the break and Zeka Goore saw a header come back off the crossbar. Egyptian international striker Ahmed Raouf, a peripheral figure throughout, also failed to make the most of some neat passes from his teammates. Al-Muhammadi finally put ENPPI in front on 52 minutes after he rounded off a swift passing move to curl a superb shot into the top corner from inside the area. The petroleum side once again missed some goal-scoring opportunities and were made to pay for that when Coulibaly's shot from an almost impossible angle squirmed through Amer's hands and into the net.
