Egypt’s Al Ahly claimed its 15th Egyptian Super Cup title on Thursday, 24 October, after defeating their historic rivals Zamalek 7-6 in a tense penalty shootout in Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The match remained goalless through regular and extra time, leading to the decisive penalty shootout.
Al Ahly dominated the first half, pressuring Zamalek’s defense repeatedly. Hussein El Shahat nearly opened the scoring in the eighth minute, but a sharp save from Zamalek’s Mohamed Awaad kept the game level.
Al Ahly continued to threaten, with Yahia Attiat Allah and Wessam Abou Ali both hitting the post from free-kicks, while the white knights ’sole opportunity, a goal by Seifeddin Jaziri, was overturned by VAR for offside.
Throughout the second half, Al Ahly struggled to capitalize on their chances, with misses from Emam Ashour, Taher Mohamed, and Akram Tawfik. Zamalek came close to a late victory when Ahmed “Zizo” El Sayed set up Jaziri, who narrowly missed from close range.
After the extra time, the match went to penalties. El Shenawy’s initial save from Hamza Mathlouthi gave Ahly an edge, but tension mounted as Ahly’s Reda Slim missed, allowing Zamalek back in.
Goalkeeper and captain Mohamed El Shenawy emerged as the hero for Al Ahly, making two crucial saves in the shootout, including a decisive block against Mahmoud “Shikabala” Abdel-Razek.
Omar Gaber’s final miss off the crossbar sealed Ahly’s 7-6 victory, securing their 15th Egyptian Super Cup title and a USD 250,000 (EGP 12 million) prize.
The game took place amid controversy, as three Zamalek team members had been detained by Abu Dhabi police days before the match following an altercation with security officials during their previous match against Pyramids FC on 20 October.
In light of this incident, Zamalek had weighed the option of withdrawing from the Super Cup tournament entirely, adding tension to the buildup of the clash with Al Ahly.
Comments (0)