An Al Ahly talisman has claimed that their CAF Champions League elimination at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns was the driving force behind their recent Egyptian Premier League triumph.
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This season, the Club of the Century stood on the verge of more continental history, aiming to become the first team to win three consecutive Champions League titles.
In the previous two campaigns, the Red Devils overcame several African giants en route to their 11th and 12th titles but never faced Ka Bo Yellow in the knockout rounds.
That changed during the 2024/25 season when they met Masandawana in the semi-final of Africa’s premier club competition.
Although neither team lost a leg, the Pretoria side progressed to the final on away goals, having scored a late equaliser in the second leg that levelled the tie 1-1, following a goalless draw at Loftus Versfeld.
Emam Ashour, who was Ahly’s top goalscorer in this season's Champions League with five goals, said that while they couldn’t extend their record for most Champions League titles, the defeat to Miguel Cardoso’s side proved to be the catalyst for their league title charge.
“It was my first time playing there, and I was determined not to lose. We put in a huge effort, and all the players were fully focused. As for the return match in Cairo, things didn't go the way we wanted, but that's football, and we had to focus fully on winning the league,” the Egypt international told MBC Masr 2.
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"After that match, we vowed to give our all, even if we were at 100%. We gave 200% in every subsequent match. We had to have a strong response against Pyramids, and that's what happened in the last minute with the equaliser, because it was unacceptable for that match to end without us showing Al Ahly's character."
