Zamalek wins African Champions Cup

CAIRO (Reuters) -- A long range drive from midfielder Tamer Abdelhamid gave Egypt's Zamalek a 1-0 win over Raja Casablanca of Morocco in a tempestuous African Champions League final Friday.

A closely fought second leg tussle, that often spilt over into violence, was decided in stoppage time at the end of the first half.

Abdelhamid snatched up a poor clearance from Raja defender Nabil Masloub, cut through two tackles and then shot from outside the penalty area.

Raja goalkeeper Mustapha Chadli got a hand to his curling shot but the ball dipped into the net to hand the Egyptian club a record fifth Champions League title.

The two sides had played a goalless draw in the first leg in Casablanca a fortnight ago, setting up a much anticipated return game in front of 70,000 at the Cairo stadium.

But cynical tackling, numerous off the ball incidents and occasional scuffles between the players ended any chance of a decent footballing spectacle.

The punch-ups started as early as the eighth minute and escalated into a major brawl at the end of the match as players and officials traded punches.

Libyan referee Abdelhakim Shelmani handed out eight yellow cards in the game and sent off a Raja Casablanca official from the bench.

Zamalek created the early chances with midfielder Walid Salah Abdellatif shooting narrowly wide after being set up by captain Hazem Imam.

Defender Mehdat Abdelhadi also headed wide from another Imam cross.

Chadli made some important saves for Raja as the hosts dominated and the Moroccans made several careless defensive errors.

Although Raja showed some good touches, they never threatened inside their opponent's penalty area until late in the game when they were chasing an equalizer.

Substitute Mohamed Ali Diallo went wide with a header as the game drew to a close.

Chaotic celebrations followed the win, which was the second successive success for Egypt in the Champions League.

Last year, Zamalek's arch rivals Al Ahli won the top club prize on the African continent.

It was Zamalek's first win since 1996.

Hassan twins win again after 15-year gap

CAIRO (Reuters) -- Egyptian soccer players Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan achieved the distinction of winning an African Champions League medal for the second time on Friday -- 15 years after they won their first.

The 36-year-old twins featured prominently in Zamalek's 1-0 win over Raja Casablanca of Morocco, although both were also heavily involved in the fighting that marred the match.

The pair, who have proved their longevity in African soccer, were given a new lease at Zamalek after a controversial move from arch rivals Al Ahli two years ago.

Few players have crossed the passionate divide between Cairo's two major clubs but the brothers seem to have thrived on the controversy caused by their switch.

At Al Ahli, the pair won the Champions Cup in 1987, against Sudan's Al Hilal, and also collected 11 league titles in a career that saw them play at the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy.

Since moving to Zamalek, they have also won a league championship and now the biggest prize in African club soccer again.

Hossam Hassan won wider recognition as the world's most capped player, winning a 151st cap two years ago before the record was overtaken by Mexico's Claudio Suarez.

Ibrahim also notched up a ton of caps for Egypt although he spent a year out with suspension after attempting to attack the referee in the 1994 African Super Cup, against Zamalek.

He was also to the fore in the fracas that spoilt Friday's final, collecting a yellow card in the first half and then trading punches with Raja Casablanca players in a massed brawl after the 1-0 aggregate win.

Both brothers are not famed for their expressive nature, despite almost two decades of intense media attention in the Arabic-speaking world.

After Friday's win, Hossam Hassan said: "It is a great honor for me and nice to add another achievement. I am happy to have done this and hoping to continue playing for a while yet."

 

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