A spirited Al Ahly side succumbed to a more clinical Fluminense in Jeddah Saudi Arabia, as the Egyptian giants were beaten 2-0 in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup on Monday.
The Brazilian and South American champions took the lead with 20 minutes to play via a penalty by Jhon Arias. Late in the second half, substitute John Kennedy added a late second to set up a final match between treble winners Manchester City or Japanese side, Urawa Red Diamonds who play each other in the second semi-final match.
In an all-conquering year, the Premier League club won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, as well as the UEFA Super Cup.
Al Ahly had spectacularly defeated Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad 3-1 last Friday to advance to the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals. The African champions produced a clinical performance to mastermind the famous victory over their star-studded Saudi host which boasted of global superstars like Benzema and Fabinho.
The African champions have made an impressive seven appearances at the Club World Cup, with their best showing coming in the 2006 edition, where they finished in third place. Their star striker at the time, Mohammed Aboutrika won the golden boot with four goals, and repeated the same feat at the 2012 edition.
The Cairo-based club is the most successful club in the CAF Champions League’s history, having won the competition a record 11 times.
