Ahly clutch record extending 12th CAF champions league title against ES Tunis
An early own goal from Roger Aholou gave Al Ahly of Egypt a tense 1-0 victory over Tunisian side Esperance helping them claim a record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title on Saturday.
After a goalless draw in the first leg of the final, Al Ahly triumphed 1-0 on aggregate to claim their fourth successive title and twelfth in Africa’s elite club competition. As well as quantity, they did it with quality, becoming only the third team to win the Champions League with an unbeaten record, winning nine and drawing five of the 14 qualifying, group and knockout matches.
Ahly’s victory completed a double for the Cairo giants after their arch-rivals Zamalek won the CAF Confederation Cup, a lower continental competition, last weekend. Coach Marcel Koller made one enforced change from the first game, with Karim Fouad replacing Ali Maaloul, who was injured seven minutes into the game in Tunisia last weekend.
Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who had not conceded a goal in eight matches prior to the return leg after replacing injured captain Mohamed El Shenawy in the group stage, retained his place.
Esperance coach Miguel Cardoso, seeking the first trophy of a managerial career that has included spells in his native Portugal, France, Spain and Greece, named the same side. Goalkeeper Amanallah Memmiche, who had kept 12 clean sheets in his previous 13 Champions League appearances this season, was forced to pick the ball out of his net after just four minutes in Cairo.
Ahly captain and centre-back Ramy Rabia headed a corner towards goal and the ball deflected off Esperance midfielder Aholou and into the corner of the net. Cheered on by a predominantly red-clad crowd at the 75,000-capacity Cairo International Stadium, Ahly threatened to overwhelm Esperance with relentless attacks.
Ahly were less dominant in the second half and had a narrow escape just after the hour mark when Sasse’s shot beat Shobeir but went wide. Koller brought on strikers Mohamed ‘Afsha’ Magdy and Mahmoud Kahraba 12 minutes from time as Ahly looked for a second goal that would almost certainly end Esperance’s challenge. Magdy came close two minutes from time when his free-kick from outside the area rebounded off the crossbar with Memmiche beaten.
The Cairo club have now stretched their undefeated streak in continental contests to 22 matches and secured consecutive Champions League championships for a fourth occasion.
Victory for in Al Ahly means it is now the 12th in the club’s history on the African continent, having won it in 1982, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021, 2023 and now 2024.
Their closest rivals are a long way behind, and between them they have not won as many trophies as the Egyptians. Zamalek have five (1984, 1986, 1993, 1996 and 2002), the same as Congolese side Mazembe (1967, 1968, 2009, 2010 and 2015).
Al Ahly and Esperance had already secured spots in FIFA’s expanded 32-team Club World Cup, slated to take place in the United States in June and July of the following year. They’ll be joined by Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns.
