Ahly clinch record extending 12th Champions League title

• Al Ahly beat Tunisia’s Esperance 1-0 in the final
• This is their fourth successive title
• Coach Marcel Koller has won successive titles in his two-year stint

Egyptian giants Al Ahly won a record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title after edging out Tunisians Esperance 1-0 in the second leg of the final in Cairo.

Rami Rabia’s deflected header was the most important statistic of the night, as the Red Devils shone on home soil, edging out their North African rivals in a tough fought victory. Ahly just needed victory at home to clinch the title after the first leg in Rades ended goalless, and they delivered when it mattered most.

It was the second consecutive title for Ahly’s Swiss coach Marcel Koller, and the fourth African title in a row for the Egyptian giants.

Ahly were backed by a 70,000-strong full stadium, and coach Koller was left pleased that they had given something to celebrate. The tactician knows that for Ahly, the pressure for the next title starts as soon as they have won one.

However, he has asked them to soak in the moment and celebrate, as they plan for next season.

“I know the fans will demand the 13th title for me as soon as I arrive at the residence hotel. I’ve learned at Al Ahly that after we finish one tournament, the fans ask us about the next one, and this is not a good thing, as they don’t know how to celebrate and enjoy these moments,” Koller said in an interview with CAF’s Website after the game.

Ahly should celebrate titles

Ahly’s Magdy Afsha celebrates his fourth Champions League title. PHOTO/CAF

“Looking for titles is a good thing, but it’s important to know how to be happy. I am like Al Ahly’s fans, hungry for titles, and my ambition is to help the team achieve more success,” he added.

He was delighted with the performance of his team and how they executed their game plan.

“We faced a strong team and tried to break up their play to score, while being careful not to concede goals. We focused on scoring in the first quarter of an hour. I set more than one scenario and we didn’t rush after the first goal, as that’s what Esperance wanted. We dealt well with the game. Esperance didn’t create dangerous chances apart from long shots,” said the coach after the game.

Meanwhile, his opposite number, Miguel Cardoso was proud of the effort his players put in.

“I am certainly not happy about losing the title, but I am proud of what my team presented and of reaching the final. We fought until the end and showed great character, even though conceding an early goal against a big team like Al Ahly is not easy,” said the coach, speaking after the game.

Cardoso felt there was no shame in coming up short against the competition’s most successful-ever club, particularly given Esperance’s exploits in reaching successive CAF Champions League finals.

“We have a young team, and we succeeded in qualifying for the Club World Cup, and we must support this team during the coming period,” the 47-year-old added.

“I have been with Esperance for only four months, and we succeeded in building many things that were missing. During the last period, we said everything we had, but we were not lucky.”

Tough and closely contested tie

Al Ahly celebrate their first goal against Esperance. PHOTO/CAF

In a tough and closely contested tie at the Cairo International Stadium, Rabia’s fourth minute header from Hussein El Shahat’s corner deflected off Esperance midfielder Roger Aholou and into the bottom right-hand corner.

It was a masterstroke for Ahly to score early as it gave them a good settling into the game. They had more chances to score.

Wessam Abou Ali struck the side-netting and Percy Tau fired narrowly wide as Al Ahly looked to extend their lead before the break, while El Shahat was denied by visiting goalkeeper Amanallah Memmiche.

Yan Sasse curled off target for Esperance just after the hour mark and the Tunisian club struggled to create chances.

Substitute Afsha came close to doubling the hosts’ advantage in the closing stages but his free-kick hit the crossbar, and Al Ahly saw out six minutes of added time to seal a 1-0 win on aggregate and a fourth triumph in five years.

Koller’s men went unbeaten throughout this season’s tournament – matching the feat of their 2005 side – with Mostafa Shobeir keeping nine consecutive clean sheets.