El Zamalek SC Edges Fierce Rivals Al Ahly SC In a Shootout to Win 2024 CAF Super Cup, in Riyadh
By: Chinedum Ohanusi
Egypt’s El Zamalek SC last night won the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Super Cup by edging bitter city rivals Al Ahly SC of Cairo 4-3 in a penalty shootout, in far away Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia.
Zamalek’s victory over bitter rivals, Al Ahly SC winners of the 2023/24 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, was however not a walk in the park, as the holders of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup had to rally from a goal down at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to force the shootout, as both sides were level at 1-1, after 90 minutes.
Wessam Abou Ali gave Ahly the lead from the penalty spot in the 44th minute, of the game, played in a
stadium with a retractable roof, and has a capacity of 30,000 spectators.
With 13 minutes to the end of the encounter, Nasr Mansi scored to draw El Zamalek level, and set up a frenetic finale, at the Kingdom Arena.
But there were no further goals scored, and the two Egyptian giants, had to be separated by the lottery of kicks from 12 yards; which El Zamalek SC, aka the White Knights won 4-3, over their more illustrious city rivals, Al Ahly SC, aka the Red Devils.
Zamalek SC, as winners of the CAF Super Cup will take home a whopping $500,000, while the runner-up Al Ahly SC are to pocket $250,000; a significant increase from previous years, and that shows the growing value of African football.
In fact, the prize money for the CAF Super Cup has been steadily increasing since 2017, with the winner’s share doubling from $100,000 to $500,000 in 2023.
It’s worth noting that the CAF Super Cup has been dominated by Egyptian clubs, with Al Ahly being the most successful team, having won it a record 8 times.
