Ahly clinch record-extending 11th Caf Champions League title
Al Ahly have won the 2022-23 Caf Champions League after holding Wydad Casablanca to a 1-1 draw at Stade Mohamed V in Morocco on Sunday night.
The Egyptian heavyweights claimed a record-extending 11th African continental championship with a 3-2 aggregate triumph overall, having won 2-1 in the first leg in Cairo last weekend.
This clash in Casablanca was no great advert for football, being beset by antagonism, time-wasting and simulation, but the two quality moments brought goals for Wydad’s Yahia Attiyat Allah and Ahly’s Mohamed Abdelmonem – the latter arrived with just over 10 minutes of regulation time remaining and proved the decisive moment of the tie.
Wydad settled into an attacking rhythm in the opening quarter-hour and launched some probing attacks, though they were unable to draw Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy into any notable action.
The visitors, meanwhile, looked to strike on the counterattack via the pace and mobility of Mahmoud Kahraba and Percy Tau, but they too were unable to create the kind of momentum they would have been hoping for.
On 27 minutes, the Red Castle claimed the lead via a free-kick from Yahia Attiyat Allah, whose in-swinging free kick from the right travelled into the back of the net amid a series of players making a run across its path.
Mohammed Ounajem claimed the goal, though replays suggested he did not get a glancing header. Regardless, the ball hitting the back of the net put the Moroccan side 1-0 up on the night and ahead in the tie on the away goals rule.
The Red Devils responded strongly to going behind, building pressure through possession in the latter stages of the second half, though they were left frustrated – both by their lack of penetration and at the occasional bizarre decision from referee Bamlak Tessema Weyesa.
One such instance saw Ahly’s Hussein El Shahat angrily pull the official’s shirt following a controversial call – an action which the veteran midfielder was lucky not to be sent off for.
Tension and time-wasting rose to such a point that the halftime interval was a welcome reprieve from two sides indulging in the unsavoury aspects of the game, rather than relying on their inherent talent.
The second half was almost equally frustrating, though Ahly were able to rise above the shenanigans and built some attacking pressure from the hour mark on – and they were rewarded in the 78th minute with an equalising goal.
Ali Maaloul’s corner kick was glanced into the back of the net by defender Mohamed Abdelmonem to make it 1-1 on the night, but put the Red Devils back in front at 3-2 on aggregate.
The remainder of the match passed in a frenzy of aggressive clashes (and missed chances for Al Ahly on the counterattack) but ultimately the final whistle confirmed yet another triumph for the Cairo giants – much to the anger of the partisan Casablanca crowd.
