Al Ahly claim handball Club World Cup bronze after beating Zamalek

Al Ahly secured the bronze medal at the Handball Club World Cup by beating Egyptian rivals Zamalek 30-25 in the third-place play-off at the New Administrative Capital Hall on Thursday evening.

Al Ahly controlled much of the match and established a six-goal advantage by half-time, leading 19-13.

Zamalek were unable to overturn the deficit after the interval as Al Ahly maintained their advantage to complete victory. Seif Hany “Fox” was named player of the match.

The result gave Al Ahly a winning finish to a tournament in which they had suffered an inconsistent start. They opened their campaign with a 31-23 defeat by Hungarian side Veszprem before responding with a convincing 35-17 victory over Kuwait’s Burgan.

Al Ahly then ended the group stage with an important 30-27 win against Fuchse Berlin.

Zamalek began the competition strongly, defeating the American side Los Angeles 40-17 before recording another emphatic victory, beating Morocco’s Dreb Sultan 42-17.

They were beaten 39-29 by Barcelona in the third round of the group stage, but recovered to edge Brazilian club Pinheiros 28-27.

The third-place match remained closely contested in the opening stages, but Al Ahly’s first-half performance proved decisive. Footage from the game showed the Cairo club extending their lead to five goals before the interval, with the score eventually reaching 19-13 at half-time.

Zamalek attempted to reduce the gap after the restart, with Abdel Ghany finishing a quick counter-attack with a well-placed shot to bring his side closer.

Al Ahly responded through Seif Hany “Fox”, who completed a flowing passing move with a powerful finish as the match entered its closing stages. Those moments helped the club preserve control and secure the 30-25 victory.

The bronze medal adds a positive conclusion to Al Ahly’s campaign, while Zamalek finish fourth after a group-stage run that included two large winning margins and a narrow victory over Pinheiros.