Ceramica Cleopatra returned from Alexandria Stadium with a precious victory over Al-Ittihad Club, winning 3-1 in the second round of the Egyptian Premier League.
The first goal for the visitors was scored by Moroccan player Ahmed Belhadj, who received a rebound from the defense with his right foot into the home team's net in the 45+4 minute.
Marwan Osman added Ceramica Cleopatra's second goal in the 66th minute after a brilliant skillful move that ended with the ball in Al-Ittihad's net.
In the 76th minute, Al-Ittihad Alexandria player Hossam Hassan reduced the deficit after receiving a ground pass from the left side with his right foot into the visitors' net, scoring his team's first goal.
However, Ceramica's response did not take long; just two minutes later, Gradisar restored matters to normal with a third goal for Ceramica, bringing the margin back to two goals.
Ceramica achieved its first win in the tournament after suffering a surprising defeat in the opening round against the newly promoted Al-Qanah Club by a score of 2-1.
Ceramica Cleopatra secured its first 3 points in its league campaign, rising to ninth place, while Al-Ittihad Club dropped to fifteenth place with one point.
Ceramica's lineup was as follows: Mohamed Bassam - Hussein El-Sayed - Ahmed Beckham - Justice Arthur - Ahmed Hany - Amr Qallawa - Mohamed Reda Bobo - Ahmed Belhadj - Sadiq Eigola - Marwan Osman - Gradisar.
Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad Alexandria's lineup was as follows: Sobhi Soliman, Khaled Massad, Mostafa Ibrahim, Mohamed Mostafa Mido, Moamen Awad, Kenneth Simakula, Ahmed Atef, Isaac Savior, Joseph Armola, Hossam Hassan, Yousri Wahid.
Match Events
Shortly after the match began, Al-Ittihad's goalkeeper saved a dangerous attempt by a Ceramica player, deflecting his shot from inside the penalty area into a corner kick.
Starting from the 20th minute, Ceramica Cleopatra continued its pressure trying to score the leading goal, but the visitors' attempts collided with Al-Ittihad's organized defense.
In the 41st minute, a Ceramica Cleopatra player headed a corner kick from the right side, passing just beside the left post of the Al-Ittihad Alexandria goalkeeper.
In the 45+1 minute, Gradisar shot a ball from outside the penalty area; although it lacked sufficient power, the Al-Ittihad goalkeeper failed to handle it properly and deflected it into a corner kick.
In the final minutes of the match, Al-Ittihad Alexandria intensified its attacks in an attempt to equalize, but the result remained unchanged as the referee announced the end of the match with a 3-1 victory for Ceramica Cleopatra.
