Al Ahly winger Hussein Elshahat - Photo credit: Al Ahly Facebook page.
Hussein Elshahat, Al Ahly winger, spoke ahead of his team’s upcoming match in the Challenger Cup, a key part of the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup. Al Ahly is set to face Pachuca from Mexico on Saturday, December 14, at Stadium 974 in Qatar.
The match, scheduled for 8 PM local time (5 PM GMT), will determine which team advances to the final of the prestigious Intercontinental Cup, the successor competition to the old format of the FIFA Club World Cup where six continental club champions compete in a knockout tournament.
In an interview with and reported by the club's media centre, Elshahat said that his team’s players have a strong determination to win the Challenge Cup, which will be held in Qatar, and to qualify for the final of the Club Continental Cup to face Spain's Real Madrid, the European champion.
He added: "Al-Ahly players are up to the responsibility and always present an honorable image of the club in major forums. I have full confidence that Al-Ahly's character will strongly be present in the Challenge Cup match, the new tournament that the players are eager to add to Al-Ahly's trophy cabinet."
The Al-Ahly player explained that the players are highly motivated to achieve more championships, emphasizing that contentment with titles does not exist in their vocabulary. They always seek podiums in every tournament they participate in to bring joy to the fans.
Elshahat added: "We take it step by step in every tournament. What concerns us now is the Challenge Cup match. Certainly, the winner of this match will win a title that adds to their history. We will not think about facing Real Madrid at this moment; the most important thing is the match on December 14, which qualifies us to face Madrid and grants us a new title that Al-Ahly has never won before."
The Al-Ahly player pointed out that major matches are always enjoyable and undoubtedly different in terms of gameplay. In general, Al-Ahly prepares well before matches, and the team exerts maximum effort to achieve its goals.
Elshahat also talked about his pre-match rituals, confirming his commitment to reading the Quran, with his family’s prayers always serving as a strong motivator for him.
He affirmed that every player aspires to achieve personal records, but he does not focus on numbers as much as on helping the team. He often hears that he has achieved a new record, explaining that numbers, in general, make him happy and are certainly a source of pride for him.
Elshahat expressed his hope of winning the Challenge Cup and qualifying to face Real Madrid, which would be his third match against the Spanish side.
He concluded his statements by saying that he is keen on collecting some of his memorabilia in a special cabinet that includes the medals he has won throughout his career, the personal trophies he has received, and the balls with which he scored hat-tricks for the teams he played for.
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