Needing to show something

Ahli are determined to capture the cup after a season of failures, writes Mohamed El-Sayed

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Ahli are close to capturing Egypt's football cup after reaching the final where they will face second division side Arab Contractors.

Winning the cup will help erase the memories of a dismal year for Ahli which have taken one knock after the other. The club was knocked out of the African Champions League from the first round. They withdrew from the Arab Champions League to protest playing without their internationals and, after a horrendous start, lost the national league for the fourth consecutive year.

Ahli, who have won the cup a local record 30 times, reached the final after a 2-1 win against the oil company team Enppi. Also in the semis, the Contractors eliminated runners-up of last year's edition Ismaili.

The final will be staged on 2 July in the Military Academy Stadium in Cairo.

Playing without their six internationals called up against the Ivory Coast in World Cup qualifiers, the reds qualified to the semi-final of the oldest Egyptian competition after defeating Misri of Port Said 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. Three days later, on Friday, Ahli reached the final at the expense of Enppi, the team which denied Ahli the national league title last year.

Hani Abdallah fired the oil company team ahead 14 minutes into the game, then sent a shot into the woodwork. "It would have changed the run of the game if he had scored," Ahli's Portuguese head coach Manuel Jose said.

Ahli's new blood Abdel-Ilah Galal equalised from a header in the 32nd minute

Khaled Bibo, suffering a second disappointing season, showed flashes of his former self when he was introduced in the second half. Maybe he was motivated by the news that the club is going to do without his services by the end of this season. Creating most of the opportunities for his teammates, Bibo made a solo run into the danger area 14 minutes after the restart and produced a delicious cross to the Brazilian import Gilberson who poked the ball home from a sitting position to the right of the goalkeeper.

"Luck was on our side today," Jose said following the match. "We eliminated a stubborn squad who are led by a veteran head coach [Taha Bisri]."

In the other semi-final, Ismaili made a lot of enemies in their 18,000-seat stadium when they lost 7-6 to second division Arab Contractors. The game ended 2-2 after extra time.

Ismaili's youth players could not hold on to a 2-0 lead acquired in the first half through Mohamed Haseeb in the 29th minute and an own goal by Rami Adel six minutes later.

Lacking the necessary experience and fitness, the young Dervishes failed to save their energy for the second half. The relatively weak visitors cut the two-goal difference in half when Adel made amends in the 62nd minute via a free kick that was deflected into the net of Ibrahim Farag, substituting for Mohamed Sobhi. Mamdouh Abdel-Hai's powerful shot in the 22nd minute hit the right post and bounced off the head of an unlucky Farag into the goal.

Ismaili's goalkeepers have been blamed for the team's losses in crucial matches in championships in the last few years. As such, management has begun searching for a veteran netminder for next season.

Ahmed Fathi of Ismaili, returning after 40 days from a knee injury, was red-carded nine minutes into extra time. The best junior player in 2003 according to the Egyptian Football Association's poll, Fathi had created most of the scoring chances for his teammates.

"Everybody should know that any team can lose on penalties as we did today. This is not the end of the world," Theo Bucker, Ismaili's German head coach, said. Saying the referee was unfair, Bucker added, "We dominated the first half but our performance dropped rock bottom in the second due to mistaken substitutions."

Deeming it their last chance to accomplish something this season, the Dervishes now focus on their Arab Champions League semi-final encounter with Hilal of Saudi Arabia in Beirut. The coastal city club is pinning high hopes on reaching the final of this lucrative tournament to take home at least four million Saudi riyals ($1.5 million).