Al Ahly retained the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Super Cup after beating Raja Casablanca on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Qatar.
The Moroccans had looked set to lift the trophy after taking the lead in the 13th minute, but Taher Mohamed’s last-minute equaliser sent the game to spot kicks.
A high-quality shoot-out went to sudden death after both sides netted their first five attempts, with the keepers barely having a chance to make a save.
But, with the score at 6-5, Raja defender Abdelilah Madkour lifted his effort narrowly over the crossbar to hand Al Ahly their record eighth Super Cup.
“I must thank the players, my technical team and the supporters,” Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane said.
“We did practise penalties and took the penalties the very same way we practised.
“It was tough but we thought it was going to be like this. Raja played to delay the game but we are Al Ahly and we have the spirit.”
Al Ahly have the chance to add intercontinental sliverware to their African title when they play in the Fifa Club World Cup in February next year.
Al Ahly vindicated after battling to end
The story of the game was largely one of Al Ahly domination, with Confederation Cup winners Raja scoring on the counter-attack and then sitting back and running down the clock in an attempt to preserve their lead.
The opener stemmed from a brilliant Abdelilah Hafidi pass which split the Egyptians’ defence, allowing Madkour to advance down the right and break into the box.
With the keeper coming off his line to narrow the angle, Madkour’s attempted cross diverted goalwards off the heel of Al Ahly centre-back Yasser Ibrahim, with Hamid Ahadad bundling the ball in on the line.
Hussein El Shahat and Afsha both tested Raja keeper Anas Zniti in search of an equaliser, while Al Ahly forward Percy Tau sent two second-half efforts off target.
As the Moroccans showed scant attacking ambition and attempted to soak up pressure, Al Ahly looked to have run out of time – but a slick team move saw them level the game in the 90th minute.
Zniti made a stunning save to keep out a close-range effort from Afsha, but Tau showed composure to brilliantly set the ball back to Mohamed, who fired through a crowd of legs and into the bottom left-hand corner.
The penalty shoot-out, which took place in front of the Al Ahly fans, proved to be a disappointment for Raja, who are managed by former Belgium and Ivory Coast boss Marc Wilmots.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Caf president Patrice Motsepe were on hand in teh Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha to present Al Ahly with the trophy.
Source: BBC
