Zamalek beat RS Berkane to clinch CAF Confederations Cup title

Egyptian giants Zamalek SC claimed their second CAF Confederations Cup title after beating RS Berkane in a tightly-contested second-leg final on Sunday evening.

The match was played at the Cairo International Stadium in Egypt. It ended 2-2 on aggregate but the Egyptian giants, Zamalek SC won thanks to the away goals rule. This was the second time Zamalek SC and RS Berkane met in the final.

The first time was in 2019 when the Egyptians claimed their maiden CAF Confederations Cup title. And having lost 2-1 in the first leg, they knew that they would be crowned if they secured a 1-0 win at home.

As such, they had a strong start to the match and they deservedly grabbed the lead after 23 minutes. Ahmed Hamdy made no mistake with a powerful shot from close range to beat the diving Hamza Hamiani.

They went to the break riding on the slender lead, hoping and praying for a solid finish to overcome the deficit. And they held on to win the coveted title. In addition, the RS Berkane were reduced to 10-men in the referee’s additional time when Hamza Hannouri was red-carded.

ZAMALEK BEAT RS BERKANE ON THE AWAY GOALS RULE

The White Knights came into this match upbeat that they would account for their second CAF Confederation Cup title.

Moreso they had high hopes of capitalising on their home advantage and overturning the 2-1 deficit. The first leg was played at the Municipal Stadium. Captain Issoufou Dayo and Adil Tahif were on target for RS Berkane.

Zamalek, who won the CAF Confederation Cup five years ago when they beat Berkane on penalties in the final, netted a vital away goal two minutes into the second half as Seifeddine Jaziri. In addition, Zamalek were hamstrung as they missed several key players due to injuries.

This includes defenders Mostafa El-Zennari, Mahmoud ‘El-Wensh’ Hamdi, and Mahmoud Abdel-Razek. Further, Al Ahly will play their final match against ES Tunis at the same venue.

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