Closing in

The Red Devils are close to setting a new national league football record. Mohamed El-Sayed covers a squad closing in on history

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Zamalek's Tarek El-Said, (r) showed off his dribbling skills against Mansoura

Ahli continued their winning ways in the national football league, on Sunday managing a hard-fought 1-0 win over newly-promoted Army in week No 10. The victory kept intact the red team's perfect record, winning 10 out of 10 matches and brought them closer to breaking their own record of most consecutive wins. Ahli won 12 successive matches in 2002 under the leadership of Dutch coach Jo Bonfrere who is currently at the helm of the South Korean side.

Against Army, for 83 minutes, Ahli found their defensive wall impenetrable. But they managed to collect the three points thanks to Mohamed Barakat who sent a thumping shot from an acute angle into the far corner of Army's net.

Ahli remain top of the table with 30 points, 10 ahead of second place and defending champions Zamalek who defeated Mansoura 1-0 on the same day. Because of the absence of their new Brazilian head coach Carlos Cabral -- who was with the team two seasons ago and who signed up again on Monday -- Zamalek was once again led by assistant coach Ahmed Ramzi. Leading the team to a sweeping 3-0 victory over city neighbours Tersana last week, Ramzi returned every player to his original position on the pitch following the departure of the German head coach Dragoslav Stepanovic. The changes had appeared, at least to Ramzi, as the main reason behind the team's slow start, including two losses at the hands of Ahli and Cement Suez.

Cabral will assume responsibility of Zamalek as of today in their match against Mauludiyet of Algeria in the last-16 group phase of the Arab Champions League.

Zamalek's winner against Mansoura came after Tarek El-Sayed had weaved his way through a maze of defenders to deliver a delicious, left-foot shot to the right of the goalkeeper in the 83rd minute -- coincidentally, the same time the Red Devils scored their winner against the Army.

It was the eighth consecutive defeat for bottom-of-the-table Mansoura whose coach Hassan Megahed, the elder brother of the club's president, was reported to have resigned after coaching the team for almost 20 years.

In other matches, Ismaili drew with the Coastal Guards 2-2; Enppi beat Cement Suez 2-0; Cement Assiut hammered Tersana 3-1; Ittihad of Alexandria beat Baladiyet Al-Mehalla 2-0; and Ghazl Al-Mehalla defeated Misri of Port Said 1-0.

No games are planned in the national league until 19 December because of national team engagements, the Arab Champions League and Egypt Cup fixtures.