Al Ahly secured the bronze medal in the FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan 4-2 in a thrilling match on Friday. The Egyptian and African champions claimed third place for the fourth time in their history and for the third time in the last four editions.
Yasser Ibrahim put Al Ahly ahead in the 19th minute by following up on a rebound from goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa, before Percy Tau added a second goal six minutes later after Atsuki Ito lost the ball in the penalty area due to pressure from Ahmed Nabih (Kouka).
Coach Marcel Koller’s team controlled the match after taking the lead and looked set to score a third goal, but Jose Kante reduced the deficit for the Asian champions with a close-range shot following a defensive error by Ali Maaloul near the end of the first half.
Substitute Brian Linssen nearly equalized at the start of the second half but shot wide of the right post from close range before Alexander Schulz brought the match back to square one with a penalty awarded after a VAR review confirmed a handball by Mohamed Hani in the 53rd minute.
However, Yoshio Koizumi of Urawa accidentally scored an own goal after about an hour of play while attempting to clear a powerful shot from Maaloul, who then missed a penalty shortly after. Maaloul redeemed himself by scoring the fourth goal with a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area in the ninth minute of injury time.
