Mallawi and Fayoum are safe, promotion and relegation to be decided in the last round of the Egyptian Second Division, Group A

M.S. Naser Mallawi - Fayoum SC 1-1 (0-1)

Mahmoud Atef 90'+9' penalty - Ahmed Abdelsalam 4'

Thursday, 8 June 2023, 5 pm local time (2 pm UTC), Naser Mallawi Stadium, Mallawi, Egypt, the 29th round (second to last) of the Egyptian Second Division, Group A.

Fayoum SC starting line-up. Photo source: Fayoum SC Facebook page

Given the very poor results of Fayoum SC, one draw and four consecutive defeats, manager Essam Khairallah was eventually sacked last week after just five games, and replaced by Mohamed Abdel Jalil for the decisive last two matches of the season. Fayoum came to Mallawi determined to win and to solve the relegation problem before the last round. The same thoughts had however the hosts, as they also needed a win to be safe before the last round, as the two teams were equal in points before the match. Nevertheless, a point was eventually enough for both teams to escape relegation, as bottom-placed Al Madina Al Monawara lost away at Aluminium, and both Mallawi and Fayoum increase the gap to 4 points above the last classified, which allowed them both to celebrate at the end of the match.

However, nothing of this was known at the beginning of the game, and Fayoum took the lead very early. Mahmoud Arafat recovered a ball in the opposite half, passed to Ahmed Abdelsalam, whose shot surprised the Mallawi goalkeeper: 0-1 (4').

After the goal, the game was very fragmented, with many interruptions due to injuries, and the stoppage time for the first half exceeded 10 minutes. Fayoum maintained the overall control of the game, although the home side did their best to equalize, but seldom approached dangerously the opposite goal. On the counterattack, Fayoum could have doubled their lead, but missed a couple of good opportunities.

In the second half, Naser Mallawi's pressure increased gradually, and their attacks became more and more dangerous. The visitors gave up all offensive and remained almost strictly in the defensive lines, to protect their narrow advantage. The same as in the first half, there were many interruptions. Because of this, the players and staff of both teams knew the final results on the other stadiums (where matches kicked off at the same time, but finished earlier), and also knew that Al Madina Al Monawara lost away at Aluminium.

Naser Mallawi's attacks became more persistent, and Fayoum's goalkeeper, Mohamad Kandil, had to make wonders to keep a clean sheet. However, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Ahmed Ali found the right assist for Abdul Al Sami, who was stopped by goalkeeper Mahmoud Kandil by means of a foul inside the box. Mahmoud Atef took the great responsibility the transform the penalty: 1-1 (90'+9').

The final whistle came immediately after, followed by a pitch invasion of the fans, happy that their team escaped from relegation. Both teams celebrated in equal fashion.

Everybody celebrated at the end of the match, including Fayoum's new manager, Mohamed Abdul Jalil (in the centre of the image, raising a hand). Photo source: Fayoum SC Facebook page

Telephonat Beni Suef and Al Madina Al Monawara both lost, and remain the only ones involved in the battle to avoid relegation, as Tamya also won at home. Telephonat Beni Suef has one point more than Al Madina Al Monawara before the last round.

Promotion also remained unsolved. Both El Gouna and La Viena won their matches, and El Gouna still lead by one point before the last round.

The battle for the sixth place, the only one leading to the play-off for the next year Second Division A, is also going to take place until the last round. Both KIMA Aswan and El Minya drew, and the gap between them remained 2 points. The two teams will face each other in the last round, at El Minya. El Minya needs to win over KIMA Aswan to climb into sixth place, while the visitors maintain their position with either a draw or a win. Theoretically, with a win, KIMA Aswan may also dream of the fifth place, but they need Misr Lel Makkasa to lose at home to Aluminium, which is hard to believe.

Full results, table and fixtures:

Round 29 (8 June 2023)

 

La Viena – Telephonat 2-1

KIMA Aswan – Asyut Cement 0-0

Tamya – Shoban M. Qena 2-1

El Gouna – Misr Lel Makkasa 3-1

Aluminium – Al Madina Al Monawara 3-1

Asyut Petroleum – Al Nasr Lel Taa’den 2-0

Naser Mallawi – Fayoum 1-1

Dayrout – El Minya 2-2

 

Table

 

1	El Gouna	29	20	6	3	52-22	66	Promotion to the Premier League
2	La Viena	29	20	5	4	48-18	65	Qualification for Second Division A
3	Asyut Petroleum	29	18	5	6	39-16	59	Qualification for Second Division A
4	Al Nasr Lel Taa’den	29	14	8	7	37-26	50	Qualification for Second Division A
5	Misr Lel Makkasa	29	12	12	5	44-37	48	Qualification for Second Division A
6	KIMA Aswan	29	12	9	8	33-29	45	Play-off Second Division A / B
7	El Minya	29	11	10	8	30-23	43	Qualification for Second Division B
8	Dayrout	29	10	10	9	40-30	40	Qualification for Second Division B
9	Asyut Cement	29	10	8	11	31-35	38	Qualification for Second Division B
10	Aluminium	29	10	7	12	32-26	37	Qualification for Second Division B
11	Shoban M. Qena	29	7	9	13	30-38	30	Qualification for Second Division B
12	Tamya	29	5	10	14	21-40	25	Qualification for Second Division B
13	Fayoum	29	5	8	16	22-38	23	Qualification for Second Division B
14	Naser Mallawi	29	5	8	16	24-50	23	Qualification for Second Division B
15	Telephonat	29	4	8	17	24-49	20	Qualification for Second Division B
16	Al Madina Monawara	29	4	7	18	27-57	19	Relegation to the Third Division

 

In case that two or more teams are equal on points, the results of the head-to-head matches are the main ranking criteria.

 

Round 30 (15 June 2023)

 

Misr Lel Makkasa – Aluminium

Shoban M. Qena – El Gouna

Telephonat – Asyut Petroleum

Fayoum – Tamya

El Minya – KIMA Aswan

Asyut Cement – La Viena

Al Madina Al Monawara – Dayrout

Al Nasr Lel Taa’den – Naser Mallawi