Islam Mohareb of Al-Ahly (R) controls the ball during an Egyptian Premier League football match against Masry in Alexandria May 20, 2018. Al-Ahly won 2-0. (Xinhua/STR)
CAIRO, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Al-Ahly football club has been officially crowned as the 2017/2018 Egyptian League champion on Monday after a 2-0 win over third-place al-Masry in the final round of the domestic championship.
The Red Devils sealed their 40th Egyptian League title since the competition was launched in 1948, a record for the Cairo giants. This is Al Ahly's 10th title in the past 11 seasons.
Ahly forward Ahmeda Hamdi broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, while his teammate Salah Mohsen scored the second goal in the 75th minute at the Borg El-Arab stadium in Alexandria.
The Cairo giants successfully defended their title and secured a record-extending 40th title with six games to spare, following Al Masry's 0-0 draw with El Entag El Harby on 12 March 2018.
Despite the fact that the match was not important for both teams as their league positions couldn't change, the game was very competitive as both teams fought for 90 minutes for a victory that would satisfy their demanding fans.
Al Ahly suffered in their last four matches, losing and drawing twice. However, the team wrapped up the season with new records as they ended the competition with 88 points, scoring 75 goals.
Ismaily Club from the Suez Canal city of Ismailia finished second with 68 points, al-Masry came in third with 63 points, while Zamalek's football club, the second most popular club after Ahly, secured fourth place with 61 points.
The first two teams will participate in next year's African Champions League, while the third and fourth will join the CAF Confederation Cup.
Haras El Hodoud, El Gouna and Nogoom El Mostakbal have been promoted to the Egyptian Premier League, while El Raja, Tanta and Al Nasr have been relegated to the Second Division.
