ABU DHABI – African champions Al-Ahly of Egypt will play Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras of Brazil for a place in the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup final after defeating Monterrey 1-0.
The Al-Nahyan Stadium was painted red by over 9,000 fanatic Al-Ahly supporters.
A wonder goal from Mohamed Hany allowed the Red Devils to beat Mexico’s Monterrey 1-0 in the second round of the FIFA Club World Cup at the Al-Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Reuters reported.
A depleted Al-Ahly has several players unavailable for the tournament such as captain and goalkeeper Mohamed el-Shenawy, Amr al-Sulaya and Ayman Ashraf as Egypt qualified for Africa Cup of Nations final and it was evident when the Mexican side dominated possession and had several attempts on goal in the first half.
However, that did not stop the Egyptian giants from taking the lead in spectacular fashion through wing back Hany in the 53rd minute.
The 26-year-old was the first to pounce on a parry from goalkeeper Esteban Andrada and he fired a fierce shot from the edge of the box that split the Monterrey defence and found the back of the net as the stadium erupted.
The final whistle was met with inimitable ecstasy by the Ahly players. Several dropped to the turf to pray, others jumped uncontrollably and Rabia ran to the supporters and pounded his fist into his chest after being named man of the match.
Al-Ahly will play Brazilian side Palmeiras in the semi-final at the same venue on Tuesday.
The two clubs had also met in the third-place playoff in the 2020 edition where the Egyptian side won on penalties after a goalless draw.
The 2021 FIFA Club World Cup was originally scheduled to be held in Japan last year but they withdrew due to the Covid-19 situation in the country, with global governing body FIFA awarding hosting rights to the United Arab Emirates.
The Mexican side, last season’s CONCACAF Champions League winners coached by former Egypt boss Javier Aguirre, will take on the losers of Sunday’s game between Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal and Al-Jazira.
Al-Hilal won the Asian Champions League title, while Al-Jazira qualified as winners of the UAE Pro League. Al-Jazira beat AS Pirae of Tahiti 4-1 in the opening match of the tournament.
European champions Chelsea enter the competition in the last four, with Al-Hilal or Jazira their first opponents on February 9.
“The kind of players they have and the players they buy. Their budget is maybe ten times ours,” Al-Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane said.
“We played under difficult conditions missing seven starting players. Then we lost two players with injuries. We had to adjust and play Afsha in midfield with Dieng instead of his normal position in attack.
“My main analyst, who is the guy who dissects the teams we play against, was down with Covid and I was down with Covid too. But football is beautiful,” Mosimane added.
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