The Al Ahly football club secured their 14th Egyptian Super Cup title after a spectacular 4-2 win against Modern Future in the final held in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
This victory marks a historic achievement for Al Ahly, who increased their tally of Egyptian Super Cup titles to 14, including the ongoing edition, which adopts a new format involving the participation of four teams simultaneously, as opposed to the traditional two.
The scoring for Al Ahly was initiated by Mahmoud Abdel Moneim (Kahraba) and Hussein El Shahat in the 13th and 34th minutes, respectively.
Modern Future responded with two goals from Omar El Said and Mohamed Mahmoud in the 77th and 81st minutes during regular time.
Frenchman Antony Modeste ended his goal-scoring drought with the third goal for Al Ahly in the 114th minute, and Karim Fouad sealed the victory with the fourth goal in the 116th minute.
The final witnessed tactical fluctuations, with the first 75 minutes favoring Al Ahly under the strategic guidance of Swiss coach Marcel Koller.
However, a remarkable turn of events in the last 15 minutes saw Portuguese coach Ricardo Formosinho leading Modern Future to a significant comeback.
For the initial 75 minutes, Al Ahly’s dominance was evident, with Kahraba, Percy Tau, and Hussein El Shahat forming a formidable attacking trio.
The midfield was secured by the double pivot of Marwan Mohsen and Ahmed Nabil Koka, enabling direct and intense pressing on the opponent, as well as swift counter-attacks.
The strategic substitutions of Mohamed Mahmoud and Omar El Said by Modern Future in the 75th minute tipped the scales in their favor.
The Al Ahly team faced challenges in converting opportunities into goals, threatening Modern Future’s goal with over 10 attempts that were squandered by both starters and substitutes.
Despite the ease of controlling the game, Al Ahly managed to secure a two-goal lead in the first half, with Kahraba and Hussein El Shahat finding the net.
The second half witnessed a turnaround, particularly with Modern Future’s introduction of striker Omar El Said.
The Ahly team struggled to contain the opponent’s attacks, and defensive errors allowed Modern Future to equalize with goals from El Said and Mohamed Mahmoud in the 77th and 81st minutes, respectively.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw, leading to extra time.
In the first extra time period, Al Ahly had opportunities, but the defense and goalkeeper Mustafa Schubert thwarted the attempts, maintaining the 2-2 scoreline.
In the second extra time period, Al Ahly asserted dominance, with Antony Modeste scoring the third goal in the 114th minute, followed by Karim Fouad’s fourth goal in the 116th minute.
Meanwhile, Pyramids FC secured the bronze medal and third place by defeating Ceramica Cleopatra 5-4 in a penalty shootout after an exciting 1-1 draw in regular time, with Ahmed Qandoussi scoring for Ceramica and Mostafa Fathi equalizing for Pyramids.
