before Zaher sealed victory on 77 minutes to
ensure the Egyptian giants completed a
successful defence 3-1 on aggregate and
secure their eighth triumph overall. Though a well-deserved win for the Red
Devils, the had to sweat for the much-
needed victory against an Orlando Pirates
side, that showed so much promise in their
quest for their first continental title since
1995.
The atmosphere was charged with every
corner of space at the Arab Contractors
Stadium filled by the red army of hard core
Ahly fans who roared throughout the game The holders started on a good footing in
search of the first goal to unsettle their
guests, who adopted a relaxed approach
relying on the counter. The first chance of the opening came the
way of Ahly after 12 minutes but Mohamed
Naguib headed wide from Sayed Moawad's
perfect cross. It was the host all the way
and five minutes later, Ahmed Fathy took
on the Pirates defence but his final touch to Ahmed Abdel Zaher was no trouble for
Pirates goalie Senyo Meyiwa. On 18 minutes, Pirates had their first
chance at goal but Ahly goalie Sherif
Ekramy was to his side's rescue coming off
his line to save with his feet a shot from
Tlou Segolela. The pendulum swung the way of Ahly and
Abdel Zaher delivered a long range effort
that went wide to the relief of the South
Africans As the game wore on, the Red Devils kept the
visitors defence boiling with consistent
raids, but the Pirates backline remained
resolute. Pirates resumed strongly but it was Ahly
who broke the deadlock during a raid
upfront led by the talismanic Aboutreika
on 53 minutes. He finished off a pass from
Said by firing past Meyiwa and the ecstatic
crowd went wild. Ten minutes later, Pirates had a perfect
opportunity to level up and Oupa Manyisa
put Luyanda Bacela through, but after
rounding off Ahly goalie Ekramy, Luyanda
failed to slot in with the yawning net at his
mercy. On 77 minutes, Abdel Zaher doubled the
lead by finishing off a three-man move with
substitute Ahmed Shadid and Ahmed Fathy
as the actors. Shadid, who replaced Soliman
earlier, laid to Fathy who squared for Abdel
Zaher to tap in from close range. Eight minutes from time, the host suffered
a numerical blow after right-back Sherif
Abdel Fadil was sent off after his second
yellow card for a foul of Daine Klate.
Despite the numerical strength, Ahly held
on with substitute Emad Moteab wasting a one-on-one opportunity with Meyiwa in the
dying embers of the game. Ahly received a cheque for 1.5 million US
dollars and will represent the continent at
the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco next
month.
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