Al Ahly suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to Smouha as they dropped points in the 2021/22 Egyptian Premier League title race.
The Red Devils came into the game without Percy Tau due to injury for a second consecutive game with the Bafana Bafana star ruled out for a month but still favourites against the fifth-placed side.
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But they were shocked by an incredible performance just hours after the EFA had confirmed that they will be representing the country in the 2022/23 CAF Champions League despite the league campaign not being finished yet.
The attacking duo of Marwan Hamdi, with a brace and Abdelkabir El Ouadi saw the home side hold a 3-0 lead after 46 minutes and despite a valiant fight back the Red Devils were unable to prevent their second league defeat of the season.
Taher Mohamed’s 56th-minute strike and Hossam Hassan’s 94th-minute consolation proved to little too late for the Cairo giants as they trail second-placed Pyramids by five points and league leaders Zamalek by seven – albeit with three games in hand over their title rivals.