Al-Ahly's defensive struggles persist as the new season kicks off for the Red Devils, despite the reinforcements secured by the club recently, alongside the return of Achraf Dari from his loan spell with Swedish side Kalmar.
Al-Ahly managed to overcome Sharqia Enppi with a 3-2 result in the match played between the two teams on Sunday evening, within the fixtures of the first round of the Egyptian Premier League, held at Cairo International Stadium.
A Golden Duo Outside Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly's defense witnessed clear stability during the period when the duo of Rami Rabia and Mohamed Abdelmonem formed the central partnership, before things changed with their successive departures, leaving the Red Devils facing names that lacked cohesion among them.
It began with Mohamed Abdelmonem, who chose to depart for French side Nice, prompting Yasser Ibrahim to return to the picture alongside Rami Rabia, before the latter moved to the UAE Pro League via Al Ain after his contract expired.
Lack of Stability
Al-Ahly found itself facing a range of available names in defense, and despite coaching changes during that period, the Red Devils' goal remained vulnerable to attackers at times.
Several names succeeded one another at Al-Ahly, including José Ribeiro, Emad El-Nahas, and then Yes Torup, yet defensive gaps remained present and persist to this day, even with the arrival of Houcine Ammouta.
Currently, Al-Ahly includes five players in its defensive line: Hady Riyad, Yasser Ibrahim, Amr El-Gazar, Yassin Marei, and Achraf Dari. Despite the diversity in their playing styles, the technical staff has yet to identify names capable of maintaining consistent presence moving forward.
The Defensive Crisis Continues
During the 2024/2025 Egyptian Premier League season, Al-Ahly conceded 9 goals, while that figure nearly doubled to 17 goals conceded in the 2025/2026 season.
With coaching changes and reshuffling of plans, Houcine Ammouta began his managerial tenure with Al-Ahly concurrently with the league break following the conclusion of the previous season.
Al-Ahly played several friendly matches under Houcine Ammouta's leadership to better assess the players and settle on suitable choices; however, the Red Devils suffered defensive confusion in their first league match against Sharqia Enppi.
Key Results for Al-Ahly During the Preparatory Period
Al-Ahly 2-0 Petro Assiut
Al-Ahly 7-1 LA Vienna
Al-Ahly 3-1 Badalona (Spain)
Al-Ahly 2-1 Europa (Spain)
Al-Ahly 2-1 Barcelona (Spain)
Al-Ahly 3-2 Sharqia Enppi
How Was Al-Ahly's Defense Against Sharqia Enppi?
Houcine Ammouta opted from the available options to field the duo of Hady Riyad and Amr El-Gazar in central defense, yet the Red Devils conceded two goals in their 3-2 victory over Sharqia Enppi.
Hady Riyad successfully executed 5 defensive contributions, completed 1 successful tackle out of 3 attempts, cleared the ball twice, regained possession on 5 occasions, and won 5 out of 6 duels against opposing players.
For his part, Amr El-Gazar achieved 5 defensive contributions, executed 1 successful tackle, cleared the ball 3 times, regained possession 5 times, won 4 out of 9 duels, and was dribbled past once.
The first goal for Sharqia Enppi came following a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area, amid a lack of marking and failure to close down the shooting angle, allowing the ball to find the back of Mustafa Shobeir's net, who clearly bears partial responsibility for the error.
The second goal resulted from a run down the left flank by Mohamed Essam, who managed to shoot without significant pressure or any attempt by Al-Ahly's defense to stop him.
Houcine Ammouta will need to review his options during this period to address these mistakes or settle on another central defensive pairing, which seems increasingly likely given Moroccan Achraf Dari's lack of readiness.
