Al Ahly defender Khaled Abdelfattah has expressed the team’s desire to face Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2023 CAF Champions League final.
After a convincing 3-0 victory in the first leg, Cairo giants Al Ahly secured their place in the final by defeating Tunisian side Espérance Sportive de Tunis 1-0 in the second leg, resulting in a 4-0 aggregate scoreline.
Having reached their fourth consecutive CAF Champions League final, Al Ahly is now aiming for their 11th title in their 16th final appearance. They await the winner of the tie between Wydad Casablanca and Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Al Ahly players are particularly eager to face Mamelodi Sundowns, seeking revenge for their previous 5-2 defeat in the group stages of the competition.
Following the game, Khaled Abdelfattah stated, “The match against Esperance was tough due to the 3-0 result in the first leg. Such results can be misleading, but we remained focused throughout the game, which helped us secure our place in the final.”
“As players, we want to face Mamelodi Sundowns in the final to make up for the defeat we suffered in South Africa. We’ve heard about the tough atmosphere there, and now we can confirm it. We experienced the lack of oxygen, felt shortness of breath, high temperature, and extremely challenging conditions during warm-ups,” Abdelfattah added.
Al Ahly’s current run of reaching the final for the fourth consecutive time matches their previous record achieved under Portuguese manager Manuel José between 2005 and 2008. Additionally, the club has reached the final six times in the last seven years, with their only absence being in the 2019 final.
