Stretching it

The Red Devils are extending their national league record, writes Mohamed El-Sayed

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Barakat makes his way through the Hammers' defenders

For all intents and purposes, Ahli, or the Red Devils, have secured their 31st national league title 11 weeks before the end of the season. It might still be too early to make such a daring statement. However, it is difficult to imagine how any club can possibly catch up with Ahli, who are now 17 points ahead of their nearest rivals Zamalek. Having missed out on their favourite title for the last four consecutive years, the Devils appear headed inexorably to recapturing the crown.

Along the way, Ahli keep extending their national league record of consecutive wins. Having won their 15th straight match on Friday. Ahli broke their own record achieved in the 2002-2003 season. It would be exceptionally difficult to win every game of the season but given the dismal performances of all other teams these days, Ahli could at least claim the championship with the biggest difference ever between the winner and the runner-up.

On Friday, Ahli cruised past bottom-of-the-table Tersana 3- 0 although a score of 10-0 would have been more like it. Ahli's new import Mohamed Barakat fired the reds ahead in the 20th minute, before Hassan Mustafa doubled the score two minutes later. Emad Miteb, Ahli's top goal-scorer with eight goals, sealed the game in the 80th minute.

The game resembled a training session for the Red Devils who kept pressing and attacking but nevertheless wasted easy chances throughout the game. In response, the Hammers -- the name Tersana have historically gone by, and who are in a corner due to their relegation-bound status -- did nothing to try to collect three points, instead retreating to the back line, as is the habit of most squads who play Ahli.

After a long period of silence during which he did not talk to the press, Ahli's head coach Manuel Jose expressed, for the first time this season, his satisfaction with the team. "We won the last 15 matches but we were not producing fantastic football," he said. "Having a perfect winning record thus far, we want to set a new world record in consecutive matches won."

On Saturday, in one of the biggest upsets of the league this season, Zamalek went down 1-0 to the newly promoted Cement Assiut in the Military Academy Stadium in Cairo.

Lacking any sort of organisation and collective work, Zamalek could not penetrate the visitors' defence. The Upper Egyptian team counter-attacked to score the winner in the 72nd minute to just about bury any hope the defending champions had of challenging for the title this year. In fact, Zamalek must now ward off a stiff challenge by Enppi and Ismaili for second place.

Zamalek will concentrate now on the Arab Champions League and the Egyptian Cup.

In Mansoura, Ismaili continued their string of dismal performances, drawing 1-1 with relegation-bound Mansoura. Having done without the services of their German head coach Theo Bucker, Ismaili's star in the eighties and nineties Emad Suleiman led the team. Ismaili, who lie in fourth place with 25 points, managed to sign another German coach, Mohsen Ortugal, to lead the team for an 18-month period.

In other matches, Misri of Port Said punished Army 4- 0; Cement Suez edged Ghazl Al-Mehalla 2-1; Baladiyet Al-Mehalla drew with Enppi 1-1; and Ittihad of Alexandria were held to a goalless draw with the Coastal Guards.