CAIRO — Al-Ahly defeated Pyramids FC 2-1 in extra-time to clinch a record-extending 38th Egypt Cup title at the Cairo International Stadium.
Second-half goals from Pyramids midfielder Walid el-Karti in the 72nd minutes and Al-Ahly forward Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim ‘Kahraba’ in the 74th minutes forced the two teams to play 30 minute of extra time to settle the tie.
Midfielder Hamdy Fathy headed the winner in the 105th minutes to give Al-Ahly the title and head coach Marcel Koller his second trophy in his first season at the club after he claimed the Egyptian Super Cup against Zamalek in Abu Dhabi last October.
“I am happy to see the fans in the stands and their support for us,” Koller said.
“I dedicate the cup title to them.
“I promise to win more titles in the future,” the Swiss tactician added.
The 2021-22 edition of the domestic cup competition began on Nov. 9, 2021 but with fixtures piling up due to international tournaments and continental club competitions, the final was put back until February this year.
Al-Ahly’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup prompted yet another delay; before fans finally got to see their teams play for the trophy in Cairo, 517 days after the early rounds kicked off.
The Egyptian Super Cup game will be played between the 2021/22 Premier League champions Zamalek and the winner of the Egypt Cup in the same season.
The Red Devils will now face Zamalek in the Egyptian Super Cup on May 5, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates.
Ahly is the most frequent winners of the Egyptian Super Cup trophy with 12 titles, while arch-rivals Zamalek has claimed only four titles alongside Arab Contractors, Harras el-Hodoud and Talae el-Geish with one title each.
Al-Ahly is also in pole position to win the Egyptian Premier League with a two-point advantage over their nearest challengers Future FC, who has played three games more.
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