Egyptian football giants Al Ahly on Friday blitzed to yet another CAF Champions League title, with Mohamed Magdi's amazing finish only four minutes from time allowing them to edge out bitter Cairo rival Zamalek 2-1 to extend their record number of wins in Africa's elite club competition to nine.
A stalemate looked imminent, with the teams locked at 1-1 at the Cairo International Stadium, when midfielder Magdi took up a loose ball 30 metres out, showing neat control under pressure, and volleyed it into the corner of the net.
The move sparked wild scenes of celebration among the players and would have have elicited similar reactions from 100,000 fans in the stadium, but instead was witnessed by empty bleachers, due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The title win is a second for Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane after the South African led Mamelodi Sundowns to victory in 2016, when they also beat Zamalek in what was then a two-legged decider.
Friday’s match is the first time since the inaugural African Champions Cup final in 1965 that the final was a single game.
Ahly took an early lead, with Amr Soleya heading an inswinging corner into the net inside five minutes.
But Zamalek grew more dominant as the half wore on and brought the game level, thanks to winger Shikabala.
He collected the ball out wide on the right, skipped past three defenders and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the goal from the edge of the box.
Zamalek continued to take the game to their rivals and would have pulled ahead just past the hour had not Ahmed Sayed’s thunderous 35-metre drive smashed into the post.
But Magdi settled the contest with his own moment of brilliance, with Ahly winning the title for the first time in seven years, making up for final defeats in 2017 and 2018.