Coca-Cola secured a 2-0 victory over Asyut Petrolem in the Premier League's regular season fifth round on Tuesday. The visitors moved clear of the bottom half while the hosts remain rooted to 19th place. By then it was already clear this was not going to be a tight contest.
Mohamed Ahmed Sharkia opened the scoring in the 31st minute with a composed finish. Asyut had possession in their own half but could not string passes together after that. The visitors took control and never looked back.
The match turned sharply after the break when Ahmed Khaled Hamed El Sayed was shown a second yellow card in the 54th minute. He had already picked up a booking in the 48th minute for a late challenge. Asyut were reduced to 10 men and had the game won inside twenty minutes of the second half.
Mohamed Sabry doubled the lead in the 82nd minute to settle any remaining nerves. The hosts had managed four shots on target but could not test the goalkeeper enough. Coca-Cola made three substitutions in the final quarter to see out the game.
Statistics told the story of a one-sided afternoon. Asyut held 41 per cent possession with 220 successful passes from 302 attempts, while Coca-Cola completed 362 from 445. The visitors registered eight shots on target to the hosts' four, and their corners tally stood at eight against two.
The result leaves Asyut with just two points from five matches, still searching for their first win. Coca-Cola sit fifth with ten points and have not lost in four league games. The gap between them is now eight points, and the hosts face a long road ahead.