Ahly sunk by stoppage-time strike

Ivica Olic struck in stoppage time to hand German giants Bayern Munich a 2-1 victory over a lively Ahly side in a friendly game in Qatari capital Doha on Saturday. The Croatian striker made the most of a mistake from Ahly’s keeper Sherif Ekramy to notch home and prevent Egyptian champions Ahly, who put in a brave display, from securing a famous draw. Olic put Bayern in front in the first half but evergreen midfielder Mohamed Barakat brought Ahly level few minutes after the restart. Ahly produced some free-flowing football in the latter stages but were let down by Ekramy’s blunder just before the end. The Red Devils won 2-1 in the previous meeting between both sides in 1977. Gomez injury Bayern dominated possession in the early stages but struggled to carve out openings. Striker Mario Gomez was replaced early on after picking up an injury, making way for Olic. The Croatian striker pumped life into a dour affair when he scored the opener after 31 minutes. Winger Toni Kroos ran onto a lobbed pass from Arjen Robben on the left, got the better of Ahly’s right-back Ahmed Fathi and clipped the ball over the keeper to Olic, who headed home despite a desperate attempt by defender Ahmed El-Sayed to clear the ball. Ahly’s first chance fell to Abdallah El-Saied just one minute before the break when the attacking midfielder capitalized on a poor defensive clearance from Jerome Boateng to fire a low shot from the edge of the area. However, the German right-back made amends for his mistake after rushing to the goal-line to clear the ball. Dutch winger Robben, whose darting runs unsettled Ahly’s backline, wasted a golden opportunity to double Bayern’s lead on the stroke of halftime when he beat the offside trap to break clear but his low shot was blocked by keeper Sherif Ekramy. Immediate impact Brazilian striker Fabio Junior and veteran playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika were introduced in the second half as coach Manuel Jose sought to beef up Ahly’s attack. Abou-Treika made an immediate impact, setting up Barakat for the equalizer on 50 minutes in a move reminiscent of the duo’s past effective combinations which helped Ahly claim a host of domestic and continental titles during the past seven years. A defence-splitting pass from Abou-Treika released the mercurial Barakat, who held off Holger Badstuber to slot home with aplomb. Ahly’s intricate passing game drew admiration from the crowd but Bayern still emerged the winners deep in stoppage time. Ekramy fumbled a left-wing cross and Olic pounced on the rebound to fire home into the roof of the net.