Junior Ajayi nets a brace as Al Ahly wins Egypt Super Cup (original) (raw)

Al Ahly crowned Egypt Super Cup champions after an entertaining 3-2 victory against Zamalek.

The Reds got off to a quick start, when Hussein El-Shahat squared the ball towards Amr El-Sulaya, who found Magdy ‘Afsha’ near the edge of the box with a clever backheel pass. The number 19’s finesse shot went just wide off the post in the 14th minute.

Al Ahly continued to push forward and just four minutes later they broke the deadlock through Junior Ajayi, who finished Ali Maaloul crossed corner kick with a powerful strike that nestled into the back of Mohamed Awad’s net.

In the 37th minute, veteran fullback Ahmed Fathi advanced up the right flank and found El-Shahat inside the box with a perfect cross, but the winger’s header missed the target by a narrow range.

El-Shahat continued to be at heart of attack for the league champions, when he got at the end of a loose ball following a massive error from Mohamed Abel-Shafy who failed to clear the ball to reach El-Shahat, who smashed the ball home from a close range.

It only took Al Ahly five minutes after the restart to extent their lead to 3-0. Ramadan Sobhi intercepted the ball from Mahmoud ‘Shikabala’ in a dangerous zone and squared it towards Ajayi, who doubled his tally with a smooth finish into the bottom corner.

In the 62nd minute, the Whites were awarded a penalty kick after Mostafa Mohamed was brought down inside the box by Mohamed El-Shennawy. Mahmoud Alaa converted cleverly from the spot to reduce the deficit to 3-1.

Around the 75-minute mark, Zamalek were given another penalty kick after Hamdi Fathi’s poor challenge on Achraf Bencharki. Alaa once again sent the ball home calmly, making it 3-2.

Zamalek tried to net the equaliser in the remaining minutes, however, they failed as Al Ahly maintained discipline and composure until the referee blew the fulltime whistle.

Al Ahly and Zamalek are set to start their 2019/20 league campaign on the 23rd of September. The Reds will face Smouha, meanwhile, the Whites will host Ittihad of Alexandria.