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A new continental title completes the Algerian champions’ season
A team was crowned African Confederation Cup champions on Saturday night after beating a team on penalties in the second leg at the Cairo International Stadium.
The first game ended in Algeria’s victory with Ahmed Khalidi’s unanswered penalty kick. Likewise, Zamalek won tonight’s second leg from the penalty spot with a fifth-minute goal from Palestine’s Udai Al-Dabbagh.
The match turned into a marathon of penalties, where both teams showed great skill in taking them, until the Algerian team decided it with a score of 8-7.
An exciting start by the Palestinian legs
Zamalek turned things around early in the first half as they were awarded a penalty in the second minute after defender Che Malone fouled Palestine’s Adam Kayed.
Al Abyad striker Uday Al-Dabagh was quick to turn it into a goal as he fired a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner and found the back of the net in the fifth minute.
Over time, half saw frequent interruptions due to injury. Notably, Zamalek goalkeeper Mahdi Soliman suffered an injury in the 20th minute and his treatment was extended until the 27th minute, so the Whites eventually had to replace him with Mohamed Awad in the 30th minute.
Awad quickly proved his presence as he blocked a rocket from Ittihad Al-Asma star Ahmed Khalidi’s left-footed shot from outside the box in the 43rd minute.
Searching for a way out… Algerian threats
Algerians were not just spectators. Islam Mireli attempted a free kick from outside the area in the 21st minute, but it went over the bar.
After Islam Mirelli’s free-kick in the 25th minute, Khalidi once again posed a real threat to Zamalek’s goal with a shot from the center of the box that went just wide of the post.
In the final events of the half, Hussein Dhiri (Ittihad Al-Asimah) was booked for a foul on Al-Dabbagh in the sixth minute before Gabonese referee Pierre Ghislain Achou blew the final whistle to give Zamalek a 1-0 lead.
Khalidi is trying to equalize the score. USM Algeria press and don’t score
The second half started with a clear Algerian rhythm. Capital Union began to move in search of the goal that would bring them back into the game and complete the mission.
In the 48th minute, Ahmed Khaledi made a left foot shot from the right side of the area with the help of Tanding, but it turned left.
Khalidi hit back in the 54th minute with another shot from outside the area after Kamagati’s pass came close but veered left.
The player himself did not stop there. In the 63rd minute, Khalidi tried a third time after supporting Brahim Ben Zaza, but failed again, then in the 68th minute he tried and the post hit Bakil.
Breathtaking marathon
Both teams applied for changes. In the 61st minute Zamalek brought on Mohamed El-Sayed for Adam Kayed and Saif El-Din El-Jazir for Chico Panza, and in the 82nd minute they brought on Nasser Mansi for Uday Al-Dabbagh and Ahmed Esho for Ahmed Fatouh.
As for USMA, they made their first change in the 69th minute by bringing on Likonza for Islam Merelli, then in the 89th minute they substituted Riyad Ben Ayed for Kamaghati, who withdrew due to injury in the 79th minute, and completed their changes in the 90th minute by replacing Ibrahim Benza Benza.
Zamalek was looking for the decisive goal in the last minutes. Nasser Mansi sent a header from the center of the area in the 85th minute after a pass from Mohamed Ibrahim, but goalkeeper Osama Benbut blocked it.
An 86th-minute corner resulted in Seif El-Din Al-Jaziri’s header deflecting wide to the right before the match finished 1-0 to Al-Abyad and the two teams went to a “suffering” penalty shoot-out where both teams showed great ingenuity before Sheikham beat Mouham to give Al-Abyad the win. 8-7, winning the title for the second time in his history.
