Al Ahly edge Zamalek in extra time to win ninth African Champions League title

Al Ahly defeated domestic rivals Zamalek 26-25 after extra time in Angola to win the African Champions League for a record-equalling ninth time and secure the trophy for a fourth consecutive edition.

The final was decided in dramatic circumstances after the two sides were level at 22-22 at the end of normal time. Two periods of extra time were required before Mohamed Hesham El-Bassiouny, known as “Mody”, scored the decisive goal with only five seconds remaining.

Abdelrahman Hameed was central to Al Ahly’s success in extra time, producing a series of important saves to keep his side in contention. His most significant intervention came with 25 seconds left, when he stopped a shot from Mahmoud Ali and denied Zamalek the chance to take the lead.

Zamalek had one final opportunity to force another equaliser after Mody’s goal. Youssef Amr launched a powerful effort from the halfway line in the last second, but Hameed made another successful save to secure Al Ahly’s victory.

The result gives Al Ahly their ninth African Champions League crown and extends their run of successive titles to four. No team had previously won the competition in four consecutive editions, apart from Algerian side Groupement Petrolier Algerien, who achieved the feat twice between 1997 and 2000 and again from 2003 to 2006.

Al Ahly have continued their dominance of African honours over the past four seasons. Zamalek remain the competition’s most successful club with 12 titles, although their most recent triumph came in 2019 in Cape Verde.

How the final unfolded

Zamalek made the stronger start and led 5-2 with 11 minutes played in the first half. Al Ahly recovered midway through the period to level at 5-5, setting up a closely contested final.

Neither side managed to establish a two-goal advantage after that point. The lead changed hands repeatedly, and Zamalek held a narrow 10-9 advantage at half-time.

The second half followed the same pattern, with the teams remaining level throughout. Hameed made a crucial save from the final shot of normal time to ensure the match finished 22-22 and went into extra time.

There was little to separate the teams in the first additional period either, with the score standing at 24-24. Zamalek then missed a valuable opportunity when Hameed kept out Mahmoud Ali’s attempt, before Mody struck at the other end to put Al Ahly within seconds of victory.

Nabil Sherif was named player of the match.