Egyptian giants, Al Ahly have been once again crowned African club champions for record-extending 12th time following their CAF Champions League final 1-0 aggregate win over Esperance of Tunisia at a packed Cairo International Stadium on Saturday evening.
As reported by CAFOnline, Al Ahly win on Saturday was the fourth time they would be lifting the continent’s most prestigious title in succession – a feat that rubber stamps their authority as kings of African club football.
Significantly, the win on Saturday also marks 20 CAF Champions League matches without a loss for the champions. They also finish the campaign with the best defensive record, with just a single goal conceded in this season.
Following a goalless stalemate in Rades last week, the Egyptians with the backing of a highly vocal Cairo International Stadium went into the clash with a slight advantage over the four-time African champions who have been in desperate search for an elusive fifth title since 2019.
Ahly’s only goal of the match came courtesy of an unfortunate own goal by Roger Aholou after a header by Ramy Moustafa came off the inside of defender’s leg to beat young goalkeeper, Amenallah Memmiche in the 4th minute.
Speaking after his team’s victory, Al Ahly Swiss coach Marcel Kohler, said his side faced a strong team and tried to break up their play to score, while being careful not to concede goals.
“I set more than one scenario and we didn’t rush after the first goal, as that’s what Esperance wanted. We dealt well with the game. Esperance didn’t create dangerous chances apart from long shots.
“Final matches are like chess games and we got what we wanted,” said the 51-year-old, who has now won eight Egyptian and African trophies in two years as Al Ahly’s head coach.
Esperance’s 47-year-old Portuguese head coach Miguel Cardoso said his team was unlucky to lose the final. “We have a young team, and we succeeded in qualifying for the Club World Cup, and we must support this team during the coming period. I have been with Esperance for only four months, and we succeeded in building many things that were missing. During the last period, we said everything we had, but we were not lucky,” he said.
