The draw took Ahli's tally to 63 points with five rounds to play. Ahli lead third placed Ismaili and Al-Gaish, who both have a game in hand, with an unattainable 22 points.

The league title is the 33rd for the Red Devils.

The Cairo club gave another mediocre performance and seemed unable to unlock the Baladeya's defenses over the duration of 90 minutes.

Baladeya took the reigning champions by surprise and had a couple of chances on Ahmed Abdul-Monem's goal.

Ahli's best chance of the game in the 58th minute when Gilberto broke through on the left flank and squared the ball to the unmarked Mohamed Barakat who hit the post with the goal at his mercy.

With the game nearing its end Ahli intensified their efforts but were kept at bay by the Baladeya players who were playing in their half.

Things turned ugly in the dying seconds of the game when Ahli players asked for a penalty-kick after Baladeya defender Yehia Abou-Sheasha handled a Gilberto corner in the area.

The referee called play on amid a myriad of complaints. TV replays showed clearly that Abou-Sheasha deliberately handled the ball.

The referee's call prompted an outburst from Ahli's fans that started throwing missiles onto the field causing the game to be almost called off.