Al Ahly edge Zamalek to win ninth African Handball Champions League title

Al Ahly’s Mohamed Hisham El-Basyouni, known as “Mody”, scored with five seconds remaining to secure a 26-25 victory over Zamalek and a ninth African Handball Champions League title in Angola.

The final was level at 22-22 after normal time and went into two periods of extra time before Mody struck the decisive goal.

Abdelrahman Hamid also produced a strong performance during extra time as Al Ahly claimed the trophy for the fourth consecutive edition.

The result extends Al Ahly’s dominance of the competition over the past four seasons. No side had previously won four successive editions apart from Algerian club المجمع البترولي, which achieved the feat twice, from (97 to 2000) and (2003 to 2006).

Zamalek remain the competition’s most successful club with 12 titles, although their most recent triumph came in 2019 in Cape Verde.

Mody said the victory reflected the team’s determination to remain focused until the final seconds.

“Praise be to God, He granted us victory in the African title,” he said in comments published on Al Ahly’s page. “Finals and derbies always have different calculations, regardless of the level of the two teams.”

“The match was evenly balanced, goal for goal, until the end. But God granted us victory in the final seconds. Small details are what win championships, and that means continuing to pay attention to the game until the last second, whatever the score.”

The Al Ahly player said his team had maintained its concentration despite the physical demands of the match and the additional periods.

“We kept our focus despite the fatigue of playing two periods of extra time, and we believed in ourselves and in winning the title,” he added.

Mody also described the difficult schedule that preceded the tournament in Angola. Al Ahly had finished the Club World Cup with a bronze medal before travelling directly the following day to compete in the African Champions League.

“We finished the Club World Cup and achieved the bronze medal, then travelled directly the next day to take part in the African Champions League,” he said. “But we promised each other that we would stay focused for the two weeks, despite the fatigue, to win the title.”

Asked about the winning goal, Mody credited his team-mates and his faith rather than claiming individual glory.

“Praise be to God, that was a blessing from Him,” he said. “It could have been any other player. The most important thing is that we won the title in the end.”

He was also asked which match had been his best performance. “Perhaps this match against Zamalek, or the game against Fuchse Berlin in the Club World Cup,” he replied.