Ahly lose to Kabylie in the African Champions League
Ahly (in red) are being pressured by local rivals Ismaili in the group standings
Algeria's JS Kabilye are five points clear at the top of Group B of the African Champions League after beating Egypt's Al Ahly 1-0 on Sunday.
The bad-tempered match was won by defender Mohammed Khourti Ziti's 25th minute goal.
The victory gave JSK, who are yet to concede a goal in the group phase, the maximum nine points out of nine.
Ahly are now just a point ahead of their local rivals Ismaili after their 1-0 win over Heartland of Nigeria.
Ahly were second best for much of their game, in the latest instalment of Egypt-Algeria football rivalry.
The six-time winners of the Champions League had a goal by Mohamed Shawky disallowed with four minutes remaining, which sparked a confrontation involving some Ahly players and stadium security officials after the match.
The Egyptian giants now have it all to do in order to reach the semi-final stage.
With three rounds of matches remaining, they are five points behind their Algerian rivals and one ahead of their bitter local rivals Ismaila, who gave their own semi-final hopes renewed vigour with a 1-0 win over Nigeria's Heartland FC.
Ismaili were full value for the victory - even if the only goal came from a Heartland goalkeeping howler.
The Nigerian goalkeeper should have dealt with a routine clearance from his opposite number but raced out into no-man's land and allowed his compatriot Godwin Ezeh to tap into an empty net.
The defeat leaves Heartland with a mountain to climb in their bid to qualify, with just one point from their three games so far.
Bookmark with:
What are these?