A Moroccan brace sees Al-Ahly of Egypt escape with the lesser of two evils against Al-Qanah

Al-Ahly failed to protect their lead twice

Al Ahly snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw with El Qanah on Wednesday evening at Cairo Stadium, in the seventh round of the Egyptian Premier League.

The result lifted the Red Giant to 17 points and second place, four points adrift of leaders Pyramids and their perfect record. El Qanah moved up to 8 points and 11th.

Omar El Saaie opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Mohamed Hany picked him out with a decisive pass, and the youngster needed just one touch to find the net.

El Qanah hit back inside a quarter of an hour. Moudy Shalata lashed in a superb strike that left goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir rooted to the spot in the 32nd minute.

Al Ahly refused to go in level, and Moroccan star Achraf Bencharki restored their lead in the 43rd minute.

Pressing hard at the start of the second half, El Qanah levelled once more in the 54th minute. Hazem Abdel Sattar pounced on a rebound after Shobeir parried.

Then came the twist. In the 80th minute, Al Ahly defender Yassin Marei turned the ball into his own net while trying to clear in front of Mohamed Hamdy Zaki, handing El Qanah a 3-2 lead.

Achraf Dari rescued the Red Giant in the 90+3 minute. The Moroccan defender powered in a header that El Qanah's defence failed to hack clear until it had crossed the line, leaving Al Ahly to settle for the lesser of two evils.