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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 May 1999 Issue No. 428 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 May 1999 Issue No. 428
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Special Focus Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Icing on the cake
By Abeer AnwarHaving won the volleyball league title a month ago after besting defending champions Zamalek, Ahli assured its supremacy after beating Zamalek again to capture the cup. The 3-1 win atoned somewhat for Ahli's disappointing fourth place finish in the African Cup Winners Cup in Tunisia last month, a competition which it had won for three consecutive seasons.
"We wanted to regain our self-confidence and restore some of our lost pride through the cup final," said Maged Mustafa, Ahli's captain and No 1 playmaker. "It was not our fault that we lost the African title," Mustafa said, adding that this year several African clubs had added at least two professional Russian players on their rosters. "On the other hand, we have been the same team with the same players for over five years, so our tactics and abilities were well known to our competitors," Mustafa said.
In the cup final, Zamalek took early control of the first set but still lost it 25-22 in 20 minutes. In the second set, Zamalek tightened its defense and attacked strongly to finish 25-18. The third set went Ahli's way 25-14 while Ahli's experience and fitness were what catapulted the club to a 25-20 fourth set victory for the match and the trophy. Tersana finished third in the cup standings after beating Shams 3-1.
"We were eager to win in order to better our image," Mohamed Fathi, Zamalek's captain, said. "But the team lacks tall players and Ahli took advantage of this and focused on our weak point." Fathi added that the injury to star player Nehad Shehata proved exceptionally harmful since the club had no comparable substitute.
"It was not an easy match but we battled bravely with our experience," Mustafa said, adding that he was delighted to collect the season's cup and league titles and see the club regain its self-confidence and the confidence of its fans.
Following the final, Mustafa announced he was retiring from the game at the international level but would continue playing for his club.
In other news, the national volleyball team is due to start training on 15 May in preparation for both the Arab Championship in Jordan starting 1 August and the All-Africa Games to be played in South Africa in September.
