AL-QĀHIRAH (Interstat) — Ceramica Cleopatra defeated Petrojet 2-0 on Wednesday at Arab Contractors Stadium, using a first-half goal from Peter Gwargis and a second Ceramica Cleopatra goal to secure the home victory. Petrojet was held scoreless, while Ceramica Cleopatra finished with two goals in a match that featured five yellow cards and multiple second-half changes.

Gwargis put Ceramica Cleopatra ahead in the 30th minute with the match’s first goal. N. Gradisar was credited with an assist on the play. Ceramica Cleopatra added to its lead with a goal from Amr Soleya. The two goals gave Ceramica Cleopatra enough separation, and Petrojet could not produce a response after falling behind.

The game produced five yellow cards. Ceramica Cleopatra’s El Maghraby was booked in the 7th minute, and Petrojet’s Hamed followed in the 29th. The match’s disciplinary pace continued in the 81st minute, when Ceramica Cleopatra’s El Sayed and Petrojet’s Kouablan were both shown yellow cards. Petrojet’s Chika was booked in stoppage time. The cards came as the match grew more physical and both teams rotated their lineups.

Ceramica Cleopatra made its first change in the 35th minute when Fathy entered and then made two more at the start of the second half with Otaka and Bobo. Petrojet also adjusted at halftime, making two substitutions in the 46th minute with Hamed and Abdallah, including the removal of Hamed after his first-half booking. Petrojet made two further changes in the 67th minute with Mohamed Dodo and Moussa and another in the 87th with Kenawi. Ceramica Cleopatra brought off Gwargis and Gradisar in the 78th minute after both had played central roles in the attacking effort.

Gwargis finished with a goal in 78 minutes, while Gradisar recorded an assist in 78 minutes. Soleya’s goal capped Ceramica Cleopatra’s scoring. Petrojet could not find a response and remained without a goal on the night. The visitors struggled to create a finishing sequence against a Ceramica Cleopatra side that protected its advantage through the closing stages. Petrojet’s attempts to pull one back did not produce a goal before the final whistle.

The result left Petrojet with 0 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw in the competition and 0 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw across all competitions. Ceramica Cleopatra moved to 1 win and 1 loss in the competition and 1 win and 2 losses across all competitions. Petrojet entered the match after a 2-2 draw with Wadi Degla SC. Ceramica Cleopatra had dropped its previous competition matches, falling 4-1 at Pyramids and losing 1-0 at home to Al Masry. The draw against Wadi Degla SC was Petrojet’s only competition point of the season, and the loss to Ceramica Cleopatra left the team still seeking its first win. Ceramica Cleopatra had lost to Pyramids and Al Masry before the home match, but the victory over Petrojet gave the team its first competition win and its first overall win of the season.

Petrojet’s upcoming League Cup schedule includes a match at El Masry SC, a home match against Abo Qir Semad, a trip to Baladiyat El Mahalla and a home match against Ceramica. Ceramica Cleopatra’s defense completed the shutout in the final minutes as Petrojet pushed for a goal. The home side managed the closing stretch without conceding and secured the result. The final whistle confirmed a clean sheet for Ceramica Cleopatra.

Before the match, Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Ceramica Cleopatra 1, Petrojet 1, and its ELO system gave Ceramica Cleopatra a 56.6 percent probability to win. Ceramica Cleopatra was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 2.5.