February 5 – Al Ahly and Al Hilal have completed the lineup of the Club World Cup semi-finals where the African champions will play Real Madrid and the Asian champions Flamengo of Brazil.
The Egyptian giants Al Ahly defeated Seattle Sounders with a single, deflected goal from Mohamed Afsa in the 88th minute to progress to the last four. It was heartbreak for the Sounders, the first American club to feature in the Club World Cup. The Egyptians had the majority of possession in a match with few chances.
“I thought we were good. I thought we were evenly matched. A couple of chances. But the deflection on the goal, it’s unfortunate,” said Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer. “They put everything into the game. They put everything into preseason.”
Al Ahly can now look forward to a dream semi-final against Real Madrid, who suffered a defeat at the hands of Mallorca in La Liga at the weekend but remain the favourites to win the tournament.
Goalscorer Afsa said: “The most important thing is victory. We have a big and difficult game against Real, our goal is to win the title.”
The other semi-final will see Saudi behemoth Al Hilal take on Flamengo, the South American champions, in a rematch of a 2019 last-four encounter.
The Saudis eliminated host side Wydad Casablanca from the penalty spot following a 1-1 draw. Al Hilal seek revenge for their 3-1 defeat four years ago and with Flamengo at the start of their season the Brazilians, they will be on their guard.
The winners of both semi-finals will meet in next Saturday’s final in Rabat.
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