CAIRO (Interstat) — Omar El Saaiy scored in the 17th minute and visiting Al Ahly defeated home side Modern 1-0 on Thursday in a tightly contested football match. Al Ahly protected the only goal of the game through the second half, limiting Modern’s chances while managing the closing stages with a series of substitutions. The result gave Al Ahly another win in the competition and left Modern with a home loss. Al Ahly entered the match as the visiting side and left with a clean sheet after a disciplined defensive performance. The early goal proved enough on a night when clear chances were limited. The home side was unable to respond after conceding early.

El Saaiy’s finish was the decisive moment of the first half and stood as the game’s only goal. Zizo assisted on the play and played 88 minutes before being replaced, finishing with one assist. El Saaiy was on the field for all 90 minutes, and his goal separated the teams. Al Ahly’s attacking threat was limited after the opener, but the visitors did enough to keep Modern from finding an equalizer. Modern pressed for a response in the second half but could not break through. The home side continued to push numbers forward, while Al Ahly defended its advantage and worked to slow the tempo. The visitors managed the game after the break by keeping possession and forcing Modern to chase.

The match grew more physical as it moved along. Al Ahly’s Eid A. received a yellow card in the 42nd minute. Modern’s Youssef A. was booked in the 79th minute. Neither card altered the scoreline, and Al Ahly continued to defend the lead in the final stretch. Both teams turned to their benches after the hour mark. In the 66th minute, Al Ahly made substitutions involving Eid A. and Bakrar M., while Modern made changes involving Mosaad M. and Rizk A. R. Modern made two more substitutions in the 78th minute, with Kaboria K. and Mohamed T. entering the match. Al Ahly’s 88th-minute substitutions involved Zizo and Bencharki A., and Modern’s 88th-minute change involved Reda K. The replacements helped carry the game through its final minutes without another goal. Al Ahly’s defense held firm through the closing sequence, and Modern could not find a finishing touch.

Al Ahly entered the match after a 4-0 victory over Kitara, a 3-3 draw with Al Qanah, a 2-1 win at Kitara, a 2-0 win at Zamalek and a 5-0 win at Asyut Petroleum. Modern had beaten ENPPI 3-2 and National Bank of Egypt Club 2-0, and lost 3-2 to ZED. With the victory, Al Ahly’s competition record stands at 2 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw. Modern’s competition record is 1 win, 2 losses. Across all competitions, Al Ahly is 5 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw, while Modern is 2 wins, 2 losses. The clean sheet capped a controlled defensive effort for Al Ahly, which preserved its unbeaten run across all competitions. Modern’s next fixtures include visits to Al Qanah and Pyramids and a home match against Smouha in the League Cup.

Before the match, Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Al Ahly 3, Modern 2. Interstat’s ELO system gave Al Ahly a 94.3 percent probability to win. Al Ahly was installed as the pregame favorite with a spread of -0.75. The total score of 1 went over the over/under line of 2.5.