The Egyptian club Al Ahly won 3-0 in the final of the Champions League against the South African formation of Kaizer Chiefs FC, this Saturday 17 July at the Mohammed-V stadium in Casablanca. This is the tenth coronation of the “Red Devils” in the competition and the third for their coach Pitso Mosimane.
“I am a South African who prepares my countrymenPitso Mosimane had set the tone before this final, and everything went as planned for the former coach of “Bafana Bafana”, already twice winner of the Champions League with Mamelodi Sundowns FC 2016 and Al Ahly in November last year. The technician knew the recipe and knew how to apply it perfectly in a Mohammed-V stadium in Casablanca behind closed doors.
The Egyptian demonstration
As expected, the players monopolize the ball from the first minutes of this final against a team from Kaizer Chiefs FC that mainly focuses on defending well, as they have done since the start of the competition. And the South African club is successful for its first final: its Nigerian goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi has no reason to do so. Al Ahly masters the debates without being sharp, but is never threatened by the men in Stuart Baxter who just chase the ball.
To force himself to defend, “Chiefs” put themselves on the wrong foot, as defender Happy Mashian, guilty of a very dangerous tackle on the right side of “Red Devils” Akram Tawfik. His sole on Egypt’s ankle was originally punished with only a yellow card. But Burundian Pacific Judge Ndabihawenimana changes his mind after watching the video: the young South African is expelled just before the break.
Africa’s non-double champions are taking advantage of this. After a long stretch of preservation of the ball, Akram Tawfik finds a light deep pass for his striker Mohamed Sherif, who deceives the goalkeeper with a knitted ball (1-0, 53 ‘). Pitso Mosimane and his staff cheer. Al Ahly is launched and leaves nothing to Kaizer Chiefs FC.
The Cairo club strangles Soweto and doubles the bet after a one-two between Mohamed Sherif and Mohamed Magdi Afsha which it ends with an unstoppable strike at the entrance to the area (2-0, 64th). Without forcing, Al Ahly drives the score home with Mohamed Sherif, the competition’s top scorer, always on the right foot: the Egyptian striker is on the heels of Amr El Soulia who finds the roof window with a flat foot (3-0, 74th).
The rest is a long trial for Kaizer Chiefs FC. The South African training will not have had the weapons to compete with the most successful club in the competition, which further consolidates its dominance with this “decima”.
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