Cape Town — Percy Tau proved to be Al Ahly's talisman after his impeccable scoring pass led to the equaliser that forced the CAF Super Cup final into a penalty shoot-out in Qatar on Wednesday.
Al Ahly went on to win the 'spot-kick' duel 6-5 against Raja Casablanca, with Tau one of the successful penalty takers.
His role in the triumph was a fitting reward for coach Pitso Mosimane who signed Tau despite concerns in Egyptian football circles that Tau was not good enough for Egyptian giants Al Ahly. There were also allegations that Mosimane was favouring his fellow South African Tau, the former Mamelodi Sundowns star.
The drama-filled match ended in personal triumphs for both South Africans.
"I am so happy to win my first title here at Al Ahly," said Tau afterwards. "This is the beginning of my history at Al Ahly. I came here to win titles and I am so happy to win the CAF Super Cup trophy.
The triumph marked Mosimane's third Super Cup conquest. He won twice with Al Ahly and once with Sundowns. It was Mosimane's fifth trophy since he joined Al Ahly.
Afterwards, Mosimane could not contain his joy and posted a note on his Twitter account, and it read: "We return home as champions, three times over! A massive thank you to all who believed in us.
"To my technical team, the players, the board, president El Khatib and all our supporters. Alhamdulillah. The Eagle soars!"
Al Ahly defender Yasser Ibrahim scored an own goal in the 13th minute and Casablanca held out until the 90th minute when they conceded the equaliser by substitute Taher Mohamed. Up until that stage the Moroccans had used delaying tactics to wind the clock down. According to Mosimane, they even sat on the field during the match.
“It was always tough as we thought it would be,” said Mosimane. “I think if Raja could have played more, they would have had a chance to win. But they played to delay the game and sit on the floor.
“We are a good team. We are Al Ahly, and we have the spirit.”
Mosimane said the players had penalty drills in preparation for a penalty shoot-out and everyone stayed with the blueprint for the spot-kicks.
“I feel good. I must first thank the players because they are the ones who played,” said Mosimane.
“We did practise penalties, and we kicked it the same way we had practised.
“I must thank my players, my technical team, and the supporters.
“I must thank captain Bibo (Ahly president Mahmoud El Khatib) and his board for their trust in me.”
The victory marked Al Ahly's eighth TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup title. Al Ahly are now one step closer to reclaiming their most crowned club in the world title. They were overtaken by European giants Real Madrid, who have two more with 26 titles.
IOL Sport