Al Ahly claim 44th Egyptian Premier League title

by Staff Reporter

Friday Aug 09, 2024. 12:00

Al Ahly have clinched a record-extending 44th Egyptian League title following their 1-0 triumph away to Smouha on Thursday.

Mohamed Magdy Afsha scored deep into injury time at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria as the Red Eagles racked up a 20th successive league win (also a new record).

The Red Eagles faced a challenging season, trailing title rivals Pyramids by more than 20 points at one stage, but their incredible run of victories in catch-up fixtures have brought them a second successive championship.

The Cairo giants have now won the Egyptian League title in seven of the past nine seasons, proving their dominance over the domestic competition in Egypt with 44 titles in 65 seasons.

“I have a fantastic group of players. They have been great throughout this difficult season. They were amazing and broke so many records,” said Al Ahly coach Marcel Koller.

“We could have won the title if we got one point tonight but they fought to get the three points. This is the mentality of great players.”

Smouha were just one minute away from putting an end to Al Ahly’s incredible winning run, but Afsha’s amazing chest control and finish maintained the Reds’ winning streak.

Afsha, who won his third league title in the red jersey, spoke after the match: “This is an exceptional season and winning the league title tonight is the cherry on the top.

“We have faced many obstacles but we had the desire to defend our league title. Our fans were behind us and showed massive support and thanks to them we are where we are.”

Al Ahly have repeated last season’s success, having achieved the Egyptian League title, the Egyptian Cup title, the Egyptian Super Cup title, and the CAF Champions League title, in addition to winning the bronze medal of the FIFA Club World Cup.