Egypt’s Al Ahly have been crowned African Champions League winners – again – after beating Wydad Casablanca.
On Sunday night, Africa’s most successful football club won a record-extending 11th continental crown.
A 1-1 draw, with a late leveller on the night, handed them a 3-2 aggregate win over Wydad.
The sides had met in the same fixture last year, when Wydad claimed the title for a third time.
This year, the Egyptians travelled to Morocco with a 2-1 lead from the first leg.
To say the North African derby was a cagey affair, however, would be an understatement.
Prior to kick-off, Wydad supporters queued for hours outside the Mohamed V stadium in Casablanca.
The 60,000-strong crowd provided their side with raucous support from the get-go, whistling deafeningly when Al Ahly were on the ball and roaring their players forward when they regained possession.
Ethiopian referee Bamlak Tessema was put under extreme pressure after making decisions – several players from either side even made physical contact with him on multiple occasions.
Wydad finally broke the tense deadlock in the 27th minute thanks to a goal from Moroccan international full-back Yahia Attiyat Allah.
The 28-year-old leathered an in-swinging free-kick across the face of the goal and, with the oncoming sea of Wydad players, the opposing goalkeeper was caught flat-footed.
The hosts continued to push to close out the half, but could not add to their advantage.
An improbable task
Al Ahly started the second half knowing it would be mandatory to score a goal – drawing level on the night would make them champions while losing 2-1 would still send the match to extra time.
Nonetheless, Al Ahly’s Percy Tau, Hussein El Shahat and Mahmoud Kahraba, who compose perhaps Africa’s most talented frontline, struggled to threaten the Wydad goal.
The task seemed improbable, especially considering that no team had scored an away goal in the second leg of a Champions League final since 2014.
But, just when it seemed like all hope was lost for the Red Devils, an unexpected hero emerged.
In the 78th minute, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Al Ahly and Egypt’s star centre-half ran on to an in-swinging corner kick and flicked the ball into the far corner of the net.
The 24-year-old, who was voted man of the match, dedicated his achievement to his team-mates.
“Of course I am happy with the goal but it is testament to the collective efforts of all the players, who displayed tremendous dedication throughout the game,” he said.
It has been a long road for Abdelmonem, who was unknown even in Egypt just 18 months ago.
Former national team manager Carlos Queiroz was even criticised for calling him up at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Yet it was at exactly that flagship continental tournament that Abdelmonem blossomed into one of Africa’s rising stars, eventually being named in the team of the tournament.
His late goal in Casablanca deflated the hosts, who no longer had the spirit to counter, and an 11th Champions League was secured.
The title for Al Ahly punctuates the second greatest run in this club’s glorious history.
Between 2005 and 2008, the Red Devils qualified for four consecutive finals and were victorious in all but one of them.
Sunday’s result means that Al Ahly have won three of the last four finals – qualifying consecutively for all four.
Africa’s Club of the Century eye Club World Cup
This iteration of Al Ahly has equalled the lofty records of the star-studded team of the mid-2000s in many ways, and all sights are now firmly set on charting new territory.
“Today, we emerged victorious and we will celebrate. Tomorrow, we will shift our focus to the league and aim to secure another trophy,” Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy said after the match.
Africa’s Club of the Century have already clinched four trophies this season and a fifth – the Egyptian Premier League – is expected to be a formality in the coming weeks.
The good news for the Cairo giants is, if they can stave off major offers from the Gulf leagues, they will retain practically all of their squad and may even add a striker and a full-back.
Any improvements would be made with an eye on December’s FIFA Club World Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia for the first time.
Success-obsessed Al Ahly supporters would like to outdo the best result an African club achieved at the Club World Cup.
That would mean the Egyptians winning the intercontinental tournament – a titanic task for any club in Africa.
Yet, Sunday night’s result confirmed that, if any club on the continent could become world champions, it would probably be Al Ahly.
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