Al Ahly secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Al Ain on Tuesday to advance to the next round of the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, formerly known as the Club World Cup. In a high-stakes match at Cairo Stadium, watched by over 70,000 fervent supporters, the Red Eagles claimed the African-Asian-Pacific Cup, marking their 27th international title.
Wessam Abou Ali opened the scoring for Al Ahly in the first half, capitalizing on a defensive error by Al Ain.
The Palestinian forward intercepted an errant pass from Al Ain’s defender Yahia Nader intended for his goalkeeper, turning the mistake into a precise finish that gave Al Ahly an early lead.
Reflecting on the match, Al Ain’s manager, Hernan Crespo, acknowledged his team’s shortcomings.
Al Ahly played better than us. We conceded goals due to individual mistakes that simply can’t happen in these types of games.
It wasn’t our night; everything we tried, they did better,” Crespo admitted.
Al Ahly continued to dominate in the second half, showcasing an even higher level of control.
Midway through, Emam Ashour extended their lead by finishing a swift counter-attack with a well-executed volley, putting Al Ahly firmly in control of the game.
The Red Eagles were awarded a penalty in added time, further sealing their victory.
Mohamed Magdy Afsha, who had just entered the match, confidently converted the penalty to make it 3-0, concluding a resounding performance from the Egyptian champions.
Al Ahly’s decisive win propels them into the semifinals of the Intercontinental Cup, which will be held in Doha in December.
Anticipating the challenges ahead, Al Ahly midfielder Marwan Atia expressed optimism about the team’s prospects in the tournament.
I hope this time we’ll reach the Intercontinental Cup final.
Al Ahly can achieve anything, our players are capable of pulling it off.
Al Ahly is accustomed to competing in major tournaments, and that’s who we are, that’s our character,” Atia stated.
In the next stage, Al Ahly will face either Mexico’s Pachuca or the Copa Libertadores champion for a chance to reach the final, where they could potentially compete against European champions Real Madrid.
