Al Ahly suffer first defeat under Hussein Ammouta before Barcelona test

Al Ahly suffered their first defeat under manager Hussein Ammouta during their pre-season preparations, losing 2-1 to Spanish third-tier side Europa in their final warm-up match before facing Barcelona.

The match was played at Al Ahly’s training camp in Spain and represented the Egyptian club’s last preparation fixture before their meeting with Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Wednesday, 19 August.

Ammouta made 10 changes to the side that had beaten Badalona 3-0 in their previous friendly. Karim Fouad was moved to left-back to cover for Morocco international Youssef Belammari, who is facing a lengthy absence after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Europa took the lead in the first half and went into the interval 1-0 ahead. Al Ahly responded after the break through Ashraf Bencharki, but their comeback was not completed and Europa secured a 2-1 victory.

The result ended an otherwise unbeaten start to Ammouta’s friendly programme with Al Ahly. The team had opened their preparations with a 5-1 win against Al Nasr, before recording a 7-1 victory over La Vina.

They then defeated newly promoted Petroleum Asyut 2-0 and followed that result with a 3-0 success against Badalona. The loss to Europa was their first since Ammouta took charge during the current preparation period.

Europa compete in Spain’s third tier and had already played Barcelona at the beginning of their own pre-season campaign. They lost that fixture 4-1, with Hamza Abdelkarim featuring for Barcelona.

The Al Ahly squad will now turn its attention to the meeting with Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy on 19 August. The match will be the club’s final test before the start of the new season.

Al Ahly begin their competitive campaign on 23 August against Eastern Company ENPPI.

Ammouta’s side will therefore enter the Barcelona fixture after four victories and one defeat in their pre-season matches. The latest game provided the manager with another opportunity to assess his squad, particularly after the enforced change at left-back following Belammari’s injury, but Europa’s victory denied Al Ahly a perfect finish to their Spanish training camp.

The defeat also came against a club they had been expected to overcome on paper, given Europa’s status in the third level of Spanish football. However, the match formed part of Al Ahly’s preparation for the more demanding test against Barcelona, who will provide their most prominent opposition before the Egyptian season begins.