Can't stop winning

The Red Devils are bowling everybody over, reports Mohamed El-Sayed

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Ahli cruised by Misri 2-0 in Port Said for their fifth consecutive victory in a match that was supposed to be difficult. Ahmed Bilal, absent since the beginning of the season because of injury, hit the opener in the 53rd minute following a goal-line scramble before Emad El-Nahhas sealed the victory seven minutes before time with a rare header.

Having collected the maximum 15 points from five matches, Ahli sit comfortably atop the table, four points ahead of nearest rivals Zamalek. Not since 2000, when they won their last league title, have Ahli been this good. Having signed an almost completely new team during the summer transfer period, the reds -- or "the dream team" as critics now call them -- have a stock of experienced, talented players who are well on their way to restoring the club's lost glory. The second-string players are no less skillful than those on the field, a feature that was missing during the past four years in which the league title has eluded the team.

The team's winning ways has sent supporters back to stadiums in droves. Even in away matches Ahli's vast number of faithful are more often than not more than the home side's fans.

"There is no coach in the world who is completely satisfied with his team's performance," Ahli's Portuguese head coach Manuel Jose was quoted as saying after the match. "We still have several difficult encounters. We as a coaching staff still have a lot to do to upgrade the team's performance until it fulfills our aspirations."

Asked why he pulled Mohamed Abu Treika out after the first half, Jose said substituting the striker was necessary. "He has not recaptured his form since the national team's defeat in Libya in the World Cup qualifiers," Jose said. He needs moral support, not criticism, during this period. I consider him one of the most talented Egyptian players."

On the same day, Ahli's arch rivals, defending champions Zamalek, managed a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Coastal Guards in the Military Academy Stadium. Gamal Hamza delivered the two blows in the 37th and 50th minutes to keep his team in second place with 11 points. The team's performance is still inconsistent, a matter that has raised questions about the future of the German coach Dragoslav who took over the responsibility of the White House at the beginning of this season.

In Al-Mehalla, Ismaili, aka the Dervishes, continued their series of wasting easy points after drawing 1-1 with Baladiyet Al-Mehalla in Mehalla. Hosni Abd- Rabbou, the top goal scorer of the league with four goals along with Abdel-Halim Ali of Zamalek Emad Miteb of Ahli and Magdy Abdel-Ati of Enppi -- fired the Dervishes ahead one minute before half-time. The home side, however, equalised in the 54th minute via Mustafa Gaafar. Having wasted seven points in five matches, the Dervishes are not likely to challenge for the title this season. They apparently lack the know- how of winning away matches, a weakness that has haunted them for much of their history.

In other matches, Enppi edged Ghazl Al-Mehalla 2-1; Ittihad of Alexandria lost for the fifth consecutive time, this loss at the hands of Cement Suez 2-1; Cement Assiut drew with the Army 0-0; and Tersana beat Mansoura 3-2.