Al Ahly took advantage of their opportunities in Doha, Qatar on Friday to triumph by a 2-0 scoreline over RS Berkane in Friday’s CAF Super Cup. Mohamed Sherif tallied his 13th goal of the season in all competitions with a sublime finish to open the scoring and substitute Salah Mohsen provided the finishing touch late on to put away the Moroccan side, who came out inspired as the underdogs and threatened to cause an upset.
Berkane had the better of the first half and gave credibility to Ahly manager Pitso Mosimane’s concerns that his side may be too fatigued from match congestion to step up to the occasion. Led by Burkinabé center back Issoufou Dayo, Berkane restricted Ahly’s chances and looked to be more of a threat via set pieces and physical play.
Mouhssine Iajour’s return to the starting lineup after a two-month period out of the team due to injury saw the veteran forward create the best opportunities of the half. Iajour made an excellent turn in the 27th minute to get by Ahly defender Badr Banoun and set up a golden opportunity for Mohammed Farehane, but the midfielder could only put his shot into the side netting with only keeper Mohamed El Shenawy to beat.
After the halftime break Ahly stepped up and showed their superior quality and form and locked down the Berkane attack. In the 57th minute the favorites found the opener. El Shahat found Sherif as the attacker made a run into the Berkane penalty area and Sherif made an excellent turn before curling a brilliant effort past goalkeeper Zouhair Laaroubi with his left foot. RS Berkane stepped up their efforts late in the match but by then it was too late. Taher Mohamed supplied an excellent pass to split the RSB defense and Salah Mohsen was in on goal, rounding Laaroubi to put the finishing touch into an open net.
The win means that Ahly have captured their 7th CAF Super Cup. Highlights from the match are below.
