From Mahmoud El Khatib to Khaled Bebo to Mohamed Aboutrika, Al Ahly Sporting Club has witnessed many inspiring stories that played a huge role in the club’s nine CAF Champions League titles.
In an attempt to go over the club’s successes in the CAF Champions League, we will be revisiting nine moments that stand out in each of our nine titles.
Mahmoud El Khatib (left), Moustafa Abdo with the trophy (middle), Abdelaziz Abdelshafy (right)
After securing a 1-1 draw against Ghana’s Asante Kotoko in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final, Al Ahly became crowned as champions of the competition for the first time in the club’s history. The Red Eagles made the dreams of our fans come true, thanks to the team’s 3-0 victory in the first leg in Cairo.
This photo shows our football first team at the time in an unbelievable atmosphere inside the airplane on their way back to Egypt to celebrate with Al Ahly fans.
El Khatib lifting the CAF Champions League title for the second time in the history of the club
After five years of winning the CAF Champions League title, Al Ahly’s football first team adds another CAF Champions League trophy to the club’s cabinet. This time, the Reds defeated Sudan’s Al Hilal 2-0 at Cairo Stadium after achieving a 0-0 draw in the first leg.
El Khatib can be seen in the above image lifting the trophy in the VIP area of Cairo Stadium.
Khaled Bebo Celebrating His First CAF Champions League Title at Cairo Stadium
Khaled Bebo, Al Ahly’s veteran striker, guides the Red Eagles to the third CAF Champions League title after scoring our only hat-trick in the competition’s final. Al Ahly’s football first team sealed the title after sealing a 1-1 draw against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg and winning the second leg 3-0 at Cairo Stadium.
After winning the title, Khaled Bebo, - wearing one of Al Ahly’s iconic t-shirts - was raised by the supporters of the club in the middle of Cairo Stadium’s pitch.
Wael Reyad and Ahmed El Sayed running towards the fans
Military Academy Stadium proved to be a good omen for the Red Eagles on 12 November 2005, as Al Ahly’s football first team was able to win the CAF Champions League title for the fourth time in the history of the club. The Reds managed to defeat Etoile du Sahel, runners-up of the 2004 CAF Champions League campaign, 3-0 on aggregate after facing a Tunisian team for the first time in the final of the competition.
Wael Reyad and Ahmed El Sayed can be seen holding the CAF Champions League trophy and running towards the fans to celebrate their triumph.
Mohamed Abu Treika celebrating his goal
In the dying minutes of the CAF Champions League final of 2006, Shady Mohamed played a long ball that found Emad Meteb in the opposition’s final third. Meteb then jumps and heads the ball to Amado Flavio, who is occupied by CS Sfaxien’s defender but finds a way to pass the ball to Mohamed Abu Treika and the rest is history.
Unable to grasp the moment, Treika joyfully runs towards Al Ahly’s bench to celebrate the goal with his teammates.
Al Ahly fans on their way to the second leg of the 2008 CAF Champions League final
The Red Eagles continue to dominate the African football scene, as they seal the third CAF Champions League title in a span of four years. This time, Al Ahly was able to defeat Cameroon’s Coton Sport FC de Garoua 4-2 on aggregate.
Traveling from Egypt to Cameroon just to attend the final, Al Ahly fans are shown in the picture singing together as they head to the stadium.
Hossam Ghaly kissing the CAF Champions League Trophy
This particular title does not only resonate with the players who won it but it also has a special place in the hearts of our fans. Our players pledged to win this title in order to pay tribute to the 72 fans, who died in the Port Said Stadium riot. After being held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the Red Eagles were able to bounce back in the second leg and deservedly won the title by defeating Esperance de Tunis 2-1 in Rades.
Hossam Ghaly, Al Ahly’s captain at the time, kisses the trophy while wearing a shirt, which has the number 72 written on the back of it.
Mohamed Youssef lifting the trophy
History repeats itself; the Red Eagles win the title back to back after doing so in 2005 and 2006. However, this time Al Ahly defeats Orlando Pirates of South Africa 2-0 in Cairo, after having a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the final. As a result, Wael Gomaa becomes the most African player to win the CAF Champions League title, having won the competition for a record of 6 times!
Mohamed Youssef, who came mid-season after the departure of Hossam El Badry, can be seen celebrating the CAF Champions League title.
Mohamed Magdy Afsha (red), Ashraf Bencharki (white) before Al Ahly’s second goal
In a once in a lifetime final, the Red Eagles were able to secure the ninth CAF Champions League title in the history of the club after a seven-year hiatus. Thanks to Mohamed Magdy Afsha, who led Al Ahly to a 2-1 victory over our arch-rivals, Zamalek, after scoring the winning goal for the Reds in the dying minutes of the encounter. This iconic photo shows Afsha moments before his goal.
