Al Ahly Women’s Handball end 47-year wait for African Champions League glory

Al Ahly captain Nasra Eid said winning the African Women’s Champions League had fulfilled a long-held dream after her side beat Angola’s Primeiro de Agosto 21-20 in the final.

The victory secured Al Ahly’s second title in the competition and their first since 1979, when they won the tournament in Egypt. It also made them the first non-Angolan winners since the 1996 edition.

“We are indescribably happy to have won the African clubs’ title, which had been absent from Al Ahly for 47 years,” Eid told FilGoal.com.

“I had great confidence in my team despite losing to Primeiro de Agosto in the group stage.”

That defeat had come by a 30-22 scoreline, but Al Ahly overturned that result when it mattered most. They reached the final after beating Petro Atletico 27-24 in the semi-final, eliminating the competition’s record champions.

Eid said the team’s belief grew during that semi-final before they completed their historic campaign against Primeiro de Agosto.

“We believed in ourselves during the match against Petro Atletico, and that was confirmed when we beat the historic champions of the competition,” she said. “That gave us a strong boost.”

The captain described the African title as particularly meaningful on a personal level.

“The African championship has made up for many things for me,” Eid said. “Winning this title was a dream, and praise be to God, it has come true.”

Al Ahly did not strengthen their squad with professional players for the tournament. Eid said the team had hoped Marwa Eid would be available, but her European commitments prevented her from joining the squad.

“We wished Marwa Eid could have been with us, but unfortunately the tournament dates conflicted with her matches in Europe,” she said. “I hope she will be with us in May because she deserves to win the African title with Al Ahly.”

Eid also paid tribute to her team-mates and the coaching staff led by Mohamed Adel (Zola), saying their work had been rewarded with a historic triumph.

“I thank my team and the coaching staff, led by Mohamed Adel (Zola), who worked extremely hard with us during his time,” she said. “Praise be to God, our efforts have been crowned with a historic title.”

She concluded by thanking Al Ahly’s supporters and board, as well as everyone who believed the team could succeed despite the challenge posed by the Angolan sides.

The achievement means Al Ahly have won the men’s and women’s African Champions League titles in the same year for the first time in the club’s history.