Al Ahly - Raja Casablanca

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   Champions League match report:
    Al Ahly (Cairo, Egypt) - Raja Casablanca (Morocco)
    (date: September 3rd 1999)

the match report

champions league

african football

before the match

After the first week saw these two teams as winners this encounter had been awaited as a valuable hint which of the two North African powers might be able to live up to the expectations.

before the match

On one side: Al Ahly Cairo, to many the favorite to win this years title. Despite being maybe the most famous club of Africa and dominating the home scene, they have only won the African champions crown twice, last 1987.
Winning 3:2 at Ibadan, Nigeria against Shooting Stars even boosted the favorite role in this group.

before the match

On the other side: Raja Club Athletic Casablanca.
Dominating the Morocco scene only recently, they won the African Champions League in 1997. They are coached by the Argentinian Fullone, who had coached last years winners ASEC Abidjan.
Their start had not been brilliant but winning 1:0 against Hearts Of Oak from Ghana, a team uncomfortable to play against.

match report (2)

champions league

african football

the match report (1)

Al Ahly beginning with a perfect use of space and the wings putting continous pressure on the Raja Casablanca defence, creating a first opportunity after 7 minutes.
In their first attempt, a standard after a free kick (10th min), Raja had a dangerous unmarked header from about 10 m missing the goal.
Al Ahly continued their pressure creating an innumerable number of corners and several opportunities, the most spectacular in the 23rd (rescued on the line) and 45th minute (#6 solo run).

- halftime 0:0

Al Ahly continued their pressure after halftime when a #15 cross fell on the crossbar (51st), and a #15 header after a defenders misjudgement was saved (54th) by the keeper.
The following corner resulted in a counter-attack when Raja in a two against three situation was able to create a player running alone towards goalkeeper scene. But #13 shot wide from 16m.
Another big Al Ahly opportunity after a throw in by #8 into the penalty (56th).
60th: Al Ahly defender #4 loses the ball 25m in front of his own goal during a dribbling while building up. This creates another dangerous situation in front of the Egypts goal but Raja's #13 cannot capitalize.
Raja starting to get more and more into the game.

the match report (2)

76th: another header opportunity for Al Ahly (saved)
Raja starting to apply some tactical fouls and provocations to waste time what results in a 'discussion' that really looks harmless but after which almost 3 minutes are wasted and an Al Ahly player has to leave the pitch.
Anyway another Al Ahly opportunity (85th) but they seem too hectic now.
88th: The opposite: Raja almost casually outplays the complete defence and only in the last moment the score can be prevented.
89th: The resulting corner is missed by the Egyptian goalkeeper and #11 heads easily into the wide open goal - 0:1 (Mohamed Khoubbach)
Although the referee adds 5 minutes injury time (which has to be exceeded because of some missiles against the line judge), Raja is able to rescue the result.

The match perfectly displayed in the same time why Al Ahly were strong favorites for the African title to some and why to some they aren't. Fine talented footballers and an impressing understanding of the game and the space, here arguably no better team in Africa, came parallel with a certain weakness in front of the two goals. Which role the abscence of the HAssan twins played here is difficult to say.
Raja Casablanca on the other side, apart from a few exceptions with a very good defence against a very constructive Al Ahly game, with a basically defensive attitude, had been developing more and more skills in the run of the game in outplaying the Al Ahly defenders. They might be not a team for high score matches but they definitively will be difficult to beat.
Of course the late score was lucky, but now they are in the pole position and slight favorites to win the group.