CAIRO: Goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadary was once again the hero of Egypt as Al-Ahly lifted the African Super Cup with a penalty shootout triumph over FAR Rabat Friday. Neither club could score in the 120 minutes of regulation, and extra time, before Ahly converted four consecutive kicks while Al-Hadary saved two Moroccan kicks at a well-populated Cairo Stadium. Just two weeks ago at the same venue, Al-Hadary saved two penalties as Egypt beat Ivory Coast 4-2 in a shootout after a goalless African Nations Cup final and won the competition a record fifth time. Super Cup matches bring together the winners of the leading African club competitions and home advantage gives the Champions League holders a distinct advantage which has produced eight consecutive wins for the hosts. The shootout brought some excitement to an otherwise drab occasion as the clash of the 2005 Champions League and Confederation Cup holders never came close to matching expectations. There was a hint of things to come with less than one minute gone on a pleasant evening in the Egyptian capital when a raid by the Moroccans ended with a wild shot. Ahly, desperate to impress after finishing last at the six-team FIFA club world championship in Japan two months ago, were no better despite fielding six of the Nations Cup-winning squad. Fullback Mohamed Abdelwahab fired embarrassingly wide after being set up from a free kick by Mohamed Aboutrika, another hero of the Egyptian Nations Cup victory. Ahly striker Emad Moteab was guilty of the miss of the match with 17 minutes gone as he scooped the ball over from point-blank range after a pass from the hyperactive Aboutrika fell invitingly into his path. FAR, who 21 years ago became the first Moroccan winners of the Champions League, did not test Al-Hadary until just before half-time when the man with the movie-star looks tipped over a snap Hafid Abdessadek shot. The second half was even more devoid of action with Ahly missing midfield playmaker Mohamed Barakat, rested by Portuguese coach Manuel Jose due to fatigue after featuring in all six Nations Cup matches. Moteab had a downward header held at the second attempt by commanding FAR goalkeeper Tarek Al-Jarmouni and Shady Mohamed cleared a shot off the line at the other end. Extra time brought no relief from the boredom despite the introduction of consistent scorers Osama Hosny of Ahly and Adil Siraj, whose two goals helped FAR conquer Dolphin of Nigeria in the Confederation Cup decider. Moteab continued to be the villain-in-chief, blazing wide when well-placed after a clever flick from Hosny set the Egyptian free inside a crowded penalty area. Emad Al-Nahas, Hosny, Mohamed and Islam Al-Shater converted penalties for four-time African champions Ahly while Khalid Al-Maarofi and Lofti were on target for military club FAR. AFP
Al-Hadary the hero
