Mesmerizing Ahly defied the odds to win a record-extending seventh Champions League title after beating Tunisia’s Esperance 2-1 in Tunis for a 3-2 aggregate victory on Saturday.
Defending champions Esperance were deemed favourites to retain their title after holding Ahly to a 1-1 draw in Alexandria two weeks ago but they were outplayed by the ruthless Cairo giants.
Forward Mohamed Nagy ‘Gedo’, who enjoyed a new lease of life under coach Hossam El-Badry, gave Ahly a deserved lead two minutes before the break with a neat finish after some fine individual work from deep-lying forward El-Sayed Hamdi.
A superb piece of skill saw Walid Soliman extend the gap just past the hour mark, silencing around 35,000 fans at Rades Stadium and leaving Esperance with an uphill climb as they needed three goals to overturn the deficit.
Esperance’s Cameroonian striker Yannick N’Djeng pulled one back with five minutes remaining but it was too little, too late.
The visitors could have added a third in the dying minutes but substitute Mohamed Abou-Treika had a penalty saved by Esperance keeper Moez Ben Cherifia.
Ahly ended a difficult year on a high, having had to deal with a series of problems including a tense relationship with their own hardcore fans, who rebuked their players for agreeing to take part in domestic games following Port Said’s February tragedy.
Egypt’s worst-ever football disaster left over 70 Ahly fans killed after a crowd riot in an ill-tempered Egyptian Premier League game against Masry.
Ahly players, who managed to overcome the adverse effects of lack of competitive football due to the ongoing football stoppage in Egypt, said before Saturday’s final they were eager to add to their haul of six Champions League titles to honour the victims.
Both teams also observed a minute of silence before kick off after more than 40 children were killed in a fatal collision between a train and a kindergarten school bus in Upper Egypt Saturday morning.
Egypt’s most successful club will set a world record when they make a fourth appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup next month while combative defender Wael Gomaa has become the only player in the continent to win five Champions League titles, having taken part in the team’s 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2008 winning campaigns.
Tactical change
Ahly boss Hossam El-Badry opted to include Hamdi, who scored the precious goal which salvaged the first-leg draw, in his starting line-up instead of veteran playmaker Abou-Treika and the change paid off, with the 28-year-old wreaking havoc upfront.
Displaying their trademark intricate passing game, Ahly had the better of the early exchanges as Esperance opted for a cautious approach to safeguard their first-leg advantage.
The energetic Ahly forwards poured forward en masse every time Esperance defenders held the ball, forcing their opponents to give away possession far too easily.
However, the hosts’ rearguard still looked tight, with their defenders having the upper hand in every aerial challenge.
Hamdi forced a save from Esperance keeper Moez Ben Cherifia with a low shot early in the game and Abdallah Saied squandered a golden opportunity to break the deadlock after 33 minutes when he fired high over the bar from the edge of the area after a lay-off from winger Soliman.
Esperance were restricted to two tame breakaway efforts that did not trouble Ahly keeper Sherif Ekramy.
The Red Devils opened the scoring two minutes before the break when Hamdi outpaced Esperance’s Walid Hichri down the left, running to the byline before pulling the ball back for the unmarked Gedo to side-foot home.
Coup de grace
In the second half, Ahly continued from where they left off in the first, launching a barrage of attacks that resulted in another goal from Soliman that provided the coup de grace.
On 61 minutes, Soliman exchanged passes with Geddo and superbly lifted the ball over challenger Mohamed Ben Mansour to break clear and send a precise shot into the bottom corner.
Bearing in mind that they have almost clinched the title, Ahly took their foot off the pedal to allow Esperance to embark on some swift counter attacks.
The burly N’Djeng was their best performer, with his physical prowess keeping opposing defenders on their toes.
He rattled the woodwork with a powerful drive in the 64th minute but made amends five minutes from time when he notched home from close range after a low cross from the right.
Ahly, who wasted a late penalty after Ben Cherifia made a clumsy challenge on Mauritanian striker Dominique Da Silva, held on for a memorable triumph that resembled their 2006 win over Sfaxien at the same stadium.
Ahram
