“Tokyo Memories” ignites the clash between Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahly Al-Ahly International today
For fans of Arab football, there will be no more exciting and breathtaking scene than watching two historical poles, such as Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia and Al-Ahly of Egypt, meeting on the stage of the Club World Cup, in a confrontation whose memory is remembered by the 2005 World Cup in Tokyo, when the Tigers defeated the Red Castle with the goal of the legendary star Mohamed Nour, within First round competitions of the tournament.
The Saudi Federation, in turn, hopes to achieve a historic achievement on its home soil, and complete its journey in the 2023 Club World Cup, through a quarter-final match, on Friday, when it faces its counterpart at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
Al-Ittihad is seeking to continue its brilliance after its 3-0 win in the opening match over its opponent, Auckland City, New Zealand, amid a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators, which is the highest attendance in the history of the twentieth World Cup, as it aspires to win over Al-Ahly of Egypt in the confrontation that is The second between them in the Club World Cup, while Al-Ahly seeks to win and reach the semi-finals in the tournament, which it participates in for the fourth time in a row after winning the African Champions League by defeating Moroccan Wydad.
Frenchman Ben Zima bears the responsibility of leading Al-Ittihad towards victory over the African champions today (AP)
The Egyptian Al-Ahly team is the second largest participant in the Club World Cup after Auckland City, where it is participating for the ninth time, and won the bronze medal three times, in the years (2006 – 2020 – 2021).
The confrontation between Al-Ittihad, the champions of Saudi Arabia, and Al-Ahly of Egypt in the FIFA Club World Cup on Friday will not be just a match in which the winner advances to the semi-finals, but rather it is the summit that everyone expected and wanted, and the Auckland City coach aspired to.
Since the draw was made, fans on both sides have talked about one thing, which is the awaited Arab summit, which brings to mind their confrontation in the 2005 edition when Al-Ittihad won with a goal by Mohamed Nour, who stressed that he is not afraid of the Egyptian team, but rather trusts his team’s capabilities.
The two teams are going through a similar stage, as Al-Ahly tied their last three matches in all competitions for the first time since Marcel Kohler took over as coach last year.
Things were not different among the Saudi champions, who entered the tournament after losing 3-1 to Damac in the league last week, and the victory over Auckland came to restore balance to the team.
The two teams include Egyptian players; They are Ahmed Hegazy, Al-Ittihad defender, and Mahmoud Abdel Moneim (Kahraba), Al-Ahly striker. Each of them had previously played for the competitor’s ranks earlier in their careers.
Kahraba told Al-Ahly’s official website: “Al-Ittihad is one of the strongest Arab teams, and facing it is difficult, but I hope to win.” “I am proud of the two-year period I spent with Al-Ittihad, during which I achieved two championships (the Saudi King’s Cup and the Crown Prince’s Cup).”
While Al-Ahly lost to Al-Ittihad, its biggest victory in the World Cup was 4-0 at the expense of Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia, achieving third place in February 2022.
It is noteworthy that the winner of this confrontation will meet the Brazilian team Fluminense, which is participating for the first time in the history of the Club World Cup, which is hosted by the Kingdom during the period from 12 to 22 December, at the stadiums of King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal City.
In another match, within the same round, Japan’s Urawa Reds will meet its Mexican counterpart, Leon, at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, at 5:30 p.m.
It is noteworthy that the winner of this confrontation will meet in the semi-finals of the tournament with the European champion Manchester City, on Tuesday, December 19, at King Abdullah Sports City.
2023-12-14 20:01:56
#Submitting #date #AlHilal #AlWahda #AlFateh #AlShabab #matches
