Samy's early header proves enough at New Suez Stadium
Pyramids FC beat Al Masry 1-0 at New Suez Stadium on Monday 31 August 2026, with veteran defender Ahmed Samy heading in the only goal from Mohamed El-Shibi's 11th-minute corner, according to KingFut and iDiski Times. The goal proved decisive in an Egyptian Premier League fixture for Rulani Mokwena's side.
Al Masry came closest to levelling in the 37th minute, when Mohamed Makhlouf's free kick struck the crossbar before Ahmed El-Shennawy cleared the danger, KingFut reported. Mohannad Lasheen was named man of the match.
Both outlets agreed on the shape of the match: an early set-piece goal for Pyramids, a spell of pressure from Al Masry around the half-hour mark, and a defensive display for the remaining hour that preserved the clean sheet. iDiski Times described the result as a narrow win, noting that Samy's goal remained the difference from the 11th minute to the final whistle.
The win also ended a longer difficult run for Pyramids against Al Masry: their previous league victory over the club came in May 2024, followed by three draws and one Al Masry win before Monday's match, according to iDiski Times.
Nine points from nine available, six goals, none conceded
The result was Pyramids' third win in three Egyptian Premier League matches this season and their third consecutive clean sheet, according to iDiski Times. Coach Rulani Mokwena's side had already been top of the table on six points after winning their opening two fixtures, against Ghazl El Mahalla and Abu Qir Fertilizers, before Monday's win over Al Masry extended the run to three wins from three, iDiski Times reported.
- Beat Ghazl El Mahalla in the opening round
- Beat Abu Qir Fertilizers 2-0 in round two
- Beat Al Masry 1-0 on 31 August, with veteran defender Ahmed Samy's 11th-minute header the only goal
The nine points from three matches put Pyramids top of the Egyptian Premier League table, iDiski Times reported. Six goals scored and none conceded gives Mokwena's side a goal difference of plus six after three rounds, a return both outlets highlighted as central to the perfect start.
Two points clear of Zamalek, with the rest of the table taking shape
Pyramids' win moved them two points clear of second-placed Zamalek, according to KingFut. In the same round, Zamalek beat Suez Petrojet 2-1 at Cairo International Stadium through goals from Hossam Ashraf in the 40th minute and Mohamed El-Sayed in the 63rd, with Petrojet's Badr Moussa scoring a stoppage-time penalty, KingFut reported.
Zamalek reached seven points having also beaten El Bank El Ahly 3-0 in the second round of matches, KingFut reported. Al Ahly, who beat ZED 2-0 in the second round to reach six points, had yet to play their third match when the round was reported, KingFut said.
For Al Masry, the result was a reminder that an early unbeaten start counts for little once it ends. Al Masry had also started the season with two wins, iDiski Times reported, but Monday's defeat left them three points off the pace in fifth place with six points, according to KingFut.
Elsewhere in the same round, El Bank El Ahly beat Asyut Petroleum 1-0 through a 74th-minute strike from Mohamed Nasr to claim their first points of the season and move up to 11th place with three points, while Asyut Petroleum remained on two points, KingFut reported. Suez Petrojet's defeat to Zamalek left them 15th with a single point from three matches, according to KingFut.
Taken together, the two reports leave Pyramids as the standout of the results they covered: a perfect record through three rounds, at a stage of the season when Zamalek, El Bank El Ahly and Al Masry have all already dropped points.
The early gap puts Mokwena's side clear at a stage of the season when Egypt's title race is usually shaped by Cairo's traditional powers, though three rounds is still a small sample to draw conclusions from.
A CAF Champions League defence begins at Gor Mahia
Pyramids turn to continental competition this week, with their CAF Champions League campaign due to open away to Kenyan side Gor Mahia FC, according to iDiski Times.
The trip comes as Pyramids begin the defence of the CAF Champions League title they won in the 2024/25 season, iDiski Times reported. Winning that title was Pyramids' most recent continental achievement, and Monday's result means the club begins the defence of it on the back of a perfect domestic record so far this season.
The trip to Kenya lands in the same week as Monday's league win, meaning Mokwena must manage his squad across two competitions within days of each other: the Egyptian Premier League title race at home and the defence of the continental crown Pyramids won in 2024/25.
The fixture means Mokwena's squad carry an unbeaten record and three clean sheets into the continental opener, a defensive record they will be looking to protect as they open the CAF Champions League defence while also trying to hold their two-point lead over Zamalek in the league. Neither report gave a date for Pyramids' next Egyptian Premier League fixture, and the gap at the top could narrow again once Zamalek and Al Masry play their next matches.
KingFut and iDiski Times, a South African outlet that tracks South African players and coaching staff abroad, covered Pyramids' result separately, publishing their reports on 31 August and 1 September respectively. Both articles were written in English for readers following Egyptian football and the wider diaspora of South African coaches and players working abroad.
