Zamalek 1 Al Ahly 3
Zamalek Gaber 26', Kahraba 83'
Al Ahly El Said (pen) 45'+5, (pen) 54', Zakaria 69'
Man of the match Abdalla El Said (Al Ahly)
AL AIN // In a competitive and absorbing match, Al Ahly were crowned Egyptian Super Cup champions for the ninth time on Thursday night following a 3-2 victory over Cairo arch-rivals Zamalek at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
Like many other high-profile trophy matches, emotions ran high. Players scuffled about 25 minutes into the second half, and individuals from both dugouts joined the pushing and shoving.
The referee and his assistants were taken off the field until order was restored, and players hugged once the match ended.
What was a riveting spectacle seemed a gift for Egyptian football fans, who nearly filled the 25,000-capacity stadium to see their country’s biggest sides.
The atmosphere at the stadium was absolutely electric. Beating drums and choreographed chants were deafening; it seemed almost as if they were being multiplied by loudspeakers.
Banners of “Egypt-heart-Zayed-sons” were displayed, a touching gesture by the Egyptian fans towards their Emirati hosts. Fans also displayed huge banners as the teams lined up for the national anthems. Without doubt, an atmosphere rarely seen in UAE football.
Ahly and Zamalek players did not seem to care they were playing outside of their country, not with so many compatriots cheering them on.
The first half was a 50-50 affair with few chances from either team, who were whistled by both of their fans at one point during the first half. Zamalek took the lead in the 25th minute and missed a chance to double their lead eight minutes later when Kahraba missed a penalty.
Ahly’s Abdullah El Said showed Kahraba how it should be done as he converted his spot kick to equalise in first-half injury time, after a very harsh call by the Italian referee.
Before the match, local fans of the two big Cairo clubs seemed excited about the clash, which brought their country’s most prominent clubs to the UAE.
The Hazza bin Zayed Stadium was awash with a sea of Ahly red and Zamalek white, each side’s partisans chanting their club’s songs, waving flags and taking selfies.
With football fans mostly locked out of stadiums in Egypt for the past few years because of security concerns, the Egyptian Football Association came to the UAE to put on the season-opening match for the estimated 300,000 Egyptian expatriates in the Emirates.
“I came all the way from Ajman for this game,” said Mohammed Zaki, 32, an Ahly fan. “It was a little tough to get in – no parking and a long queue – but the atmosphere is very beautiful, and it is a great moment for us to enjoy this game live in this amazing stadium.”
Magdy Abdullah, a 28-year-old Zamalek fan, said: “I don’t usually go to many football games, but for our teams to be playing in Al Ain, where I live, I had to come with my friends and family to support my team.
“We have to play with our heart and we will win the cup.”
Security around the stadium was firm but friendly, with maximum, no-nonsense police control on the roads and at each entrance in the stadium, where fans were screened before entering.
Zamalek and Ahly fans had their own entrances, at opposite ends of the stadium, which was divided into halves, Ahly fans at one end, Zamalek at the other.
“We were instructed well about the security before and after the game, especially,” said a police steward. “The stadium is full so there might be possibilities” of clashes, “but if there is any sense of that, we will take care of it immediately.”
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