Ceramica Cleopatra moved level with Pyramids at the top of the Egyptian league after beating Al Ahly Bank 2-0 for a fourth consecutive victory, with the club’s management now signalling its ambition to compete for trophies this season.
The result, recorded on Monday evening in the fifth round, took Ceramica Cleopatra to 12 points and extended their impressive run of form under coach Ali Maher.
Mohamed Reda “Bobo” opened the scoring in the 49th minute before Amr Qalawa doubled the advantage 16 minutes later, giving the hosts another important win as they continue their push at the top of the table.
Ceramica Cleopatra’s points tally puts them alongside Pyramids, although Pyramids still had their fifth-round match against El Sharqia Enppi to play.
For Al Ahly Bank, the defeat left them with six points and in 10th position. The team is currently being led by interim coach Assem Salah after technical director Ayman Al-Ramadi suffered a health setback and underwent heart surgery.
The latest victory has also strengthened Ceramica Cleopatra’s belief that they can challenge for honours rather than simply compete for a place in the upper part of the table.
Moataz El-Batrawy, the club’s football supervisor, said the team’s recent performances showed that it had developed the character needed to produce strong results.
Speaking to Sada El-Balad channel, El-Batrawy said the squad now possessed a strong personality and praised the technical staff headed by Maher.
He also highlighted the stability provided by the club’s management, saying there were ongoing efforts to compete for all available titles during the season.
According to El-Batrawy, consistency has become an important feature of the team’s performances, with the club benefiting from a period of stability both on and off the pitch.
He pointed to the recruitment of goalkeeper Mohamed Alaa, a member of the Egyptian national team, and Slovenian striker Nets Gradiscar, who plays for Al-Ahly, as evidence of Ceramica Cleopatra’s desire to build a squad capable of competing for trophies.
El-Batrawy stressed that the team’s current stability gives it the opportunity to compete across all tournaments this season, reinforcing the club’s ambitions following its strong start to the league campaign.
Elsewhere in the fifth round, Smouha finally secured their first Egyptian league victory of the season by beating Tala’ea El-Gaish 1-0 at the Military Sports Authority Stadium in Cairo.
Mohamed Saeed scored Smouha’s decisive goal in the 62nd minute, giving Ahmed Abdel Aziz’s side their first three points of the campaign.
The victory lifted Smouha to four points and 16th place, while Tala’ea El-Gaish fell to seventh with seven points under coach Gomaa Mashhour.
With Ceramica Cleopatra continuing to collect victories and remaining alongside Pyramids at the summit, the club’s latest result has given further weight to its message that it intends to compete seriously for the major prizes this season.
