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- Ahmad AL khateeb
- BBC
Image posted, fake images
Hosts Playground Cairo on Friday night a historic match in exceptional circumstances between Polar Traditional egyptian ball, aل .هلي والزمالك، In the final of the African Champions League.
After the results of the Corona virus medical survey conducted by the African Union of the players of the two teams were released on Wednesday, it was confirmed that six players from both sides were infected, and they are Aliu Diang, Walid Suleiman, Saleh Jumah from Al-Ahly, Abdullah Jumaa, Mahmoud Hamdy Al-Wanch and Youssef Obama from Zamalek.
Sports experts believe that those infections with the Corona virus two days before the game can affect the plans of the coaches in this decisive meeting, which means a lot to both parties.
The Egyptian soccer poles climbed to the final round of the African Champions League, which they face for the first time in history, after Al-Ahly’s victory over Moroccan team Wydad Casablanca, and Zamalek’s victory over Raja of Morocco in the semifinals of the tournament.
“Final century”
This is the first meeting between the two Egyptian teams in the final of the African Championship in 26 years.
The last continental meeting between them was the African Super Cup, held in 1994 in South Africa, in which the Zamalek team won with a clean goal from Ayman Mansour against Ahmed Schubert.
Al-Ahly reached the final of the African Championship 13 times, winning eight of them, the last of which was in 2013. Al-Ahly leads the list of clubs that have won this tournament.
Zamalek is chasing Al-Ahly on this list; They are in second place, having won the title five times, most recently in 2002, while the Whites reached the final eight times.
Winning this tournament is a very important goal for both teams, so each team will strive to achieve it by all possible means.
Critics have called this extraordinary party the “End of the Century.”
On Wednesday, the African Football Confederation (CAF) agreed to officially print 2,000 invitations to attend the match that will unite the two poles of Egyptian football.
CAF is expected to receive 250 invitations, along with invitations to the Egyptian Football Association and invitations to the Al-Ahly and Zamalek boards of directors.
Consequently, attendance at the match will be restricted to relevant public figures, who will receive an invitation to attend, and this will not be available to the broad fans of the two teams.
Zamalek: the strength of the defensive block
Journalist and sports analyst Mohamed Yousry hopes that Portuguese coach Pacheco, Zamalek, will resort to strengthening defense positions during the match, similar to what he did in Zamalek’s first leg against Moroccan Raja in this tournament.
Yusri tells the BBC that the defensive ball and waiting for the opponent, and forming a reaction, are ways that Zamalek players who are used to playing defense dominate without shaking or losing confidence.
Here, Yousri refers to a match that brought Al-Ahly and Zamalek together in this year’s Egyptian League competition and ended with the white team’s victory, three goals to one.
Ahmed Yamani, Egyptian journalist and sports analyst, confirms that the Zamalek defense force is represented by Mahmoud Alaa, as well as the midfield, especially the Ferjani Sassi Triangle, Tariq Hamed and Ashraf Bin Sharqi.
But the absence of Mahmoud Al-Wensh, who was supposed to reinforce the defensive force alongside Mahmoud Alaa, due to a Corona infection, may confuse the accounts of the Zamalek manager.
Although Al-Winch is a strong and influential player, he can be replaced by Mohamed Abdel-Ghani, similar to what happened in Raja’s match, Yamani says.
The absence of Abdullah Jumaa from his team, Zamalek, in this match will also be very influential, as sports experts see, given his role and good performance with his team.
Mohamed Gamal, a former player and contractor for Zamalek, and a member of the club’s youth sector technical committee, told the BBC that the Corona crisis is a major problem for coaches when distinguished players are injured before such a fateful match.
And Jamal added, “Abdullah Jumaa is a very influential player, and the coach will have to look for a replacement, but he will not be 100 percent ready. Player Islam Jaber can be used, because he is the only one who plays with his left foot in the team, especially in the absence of player Mohamed Abdel Shafi. ”
Jamal believes that the coach is racing against time to prepare the alternative player psychologically and physically, while motivating him to present his best in this position, to overcome this circumstance that is beyond all consideration.
A state of sadness prevailed among the White Castle fans, after the results of the latest medical swab appeared and the three members of the team were infected with the Coronavirus.
Al-Ahly: collective play and penetration of the depth
The Red Castle fans also felt anxious after the Al-Ahly club announced that Walid Suleiman had been infected with the virus a few days ago, because he is considered to have great experience in such difficult matches, and then the announcement of the injury to Aliu Diang, who was expected to rely on the manager to play an effective role in precisely this match.
Yamani tells the BBC that Al-Ahly has had problems with the defense in recent period, but that they are covered up by brilliant goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Shennawi.
El-Shenawi played an exceptional season with his team and played a prominent role in preserving his goal in many of the team’s matches in the CAF Champions League Playoffs, as well as his role in the team’s access to the Premier League championship for this year.
On the other elements of Al-Ahly’s current power, according to Al-Yamani, the player Mohamed Majdi, known as “Afsha”, who is good at receiving the ball and moving between the lines and in the middle spaces, and creates opportunities for his companions.
Yousri hopes that South African coach Pitso Mosimane, in his plan to win this match, will be based on team play and lots of precise passing.
“Unlike most coaches, Musimani prefers to penetrate from deep,” says Yusri. “It depends on the position of the wings in the depth of the field and not on the sides, to press an increase in number in the middle of the field.”
But Musimani can face solid defensive play from Zamalek’s players, who are good at blocking deep, according to Yousry.
The two teams recorded Corona virus infections among players days before the match, and even before the last swab carried out by the African Union for the players of the two teams on Wednesday. Al-Ahly had announced that Walid Suleiman, Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim, known as Kahraba, and Saleh Jumaa had been infected with the virus.
Yousry does not believe that Suleiman’s absence or electrification will significantly affect Al-Ahly’s performance, because he can count on substitutes for them.
In an attempt to overcome the player shortage due to Corona contagion, the African Football Confederation (CAF) recently decided to increase the number of players registered in the participating lists in the new season of the Champions League and Confederation Cup from 30 to 40 players. .
