Al Ahly Bank Club defeated their hosts, Pyramids FC, by three goals to two in a friendly match that brought the two teams together on Tuesday evening, as part of both teams' preparations for upcoming competitions.
The match, held at the Air Defense Stadium, featured good-quality play with mutual control over the game's flow, though Pyramids enjoyed a slight advantage.
This friendly came just about 24 hours after both teams secured victories in the third round of the Premier League, where Pyramids beat Al-Masry Port Said 1-0, while Al Ahly Bank achieved the same result against Abu Qir Fertilizers.
Pyramids' head coach, Rulani Mokwena, started the match with a lineup consisting of Mahmoud Gad in goal; defended by Mohamed Hamdy, Iyad El-Askalani, Osama Galal, and Khaled Awad; supported in midfield by Ahmed Tawfik, Ahmed Fawzi, and Ahmed Atef Qatta; and backed by an attacking trio of Ahmed Abdelkader, Ahmed Nadhir Ben Bouali, and Abdelrahman Magdy.
The match witnessed the return of Pyramids' left-back Mohamed Hamdy to the pitch following his recovery from an ACL knee injury sustained while playing for the Egyptian national team, which had kept him out for 239 days.
Only six players sat on Pyramids' substitutes' bench during today's match, including new goalkeeper Hazem Gamal, alongside Dodo El-Gabbas, Mahmoud Zalaka, and Nasser Maher, who participated in the second half.
Al Ahly Bank took the lead first, then Algerian striker Ahmed Nadhir Ben Bouali equalized with a left-footed shot, before the visitors regained the lead with a second goal that concluded the first half.
In the second half, Al Ahly Bank scored their third goal, before Pyramids pulled one back through a penalty kick converted by Nasser Maher, awarded after a foul on Ahmed Abdelkader.
Pyramids FC is now preparing to begin their African campaign by facing Kenya's Gor Mahia next Sunday in the first leg of the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.
