Al Ahly have beat arch-rivals Zamalek to win the 2023 African Handball Super Cup and reach the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe.
Zamalek reached the final after beating DR Congo’s JS Kinshasa in the semi-finals 46-25, while Al Ahly qualified directly following Espérance Sportive de Tunis’ withdrawal.
This set up a Cairo derby final for the sixth year in a row, with last season Al Ahly winning in Niger to reach the IHF Super Globe, in which they finished fourth.
In a similar fashion of recent years, the game was balanced and could have gone either way, with Al Ahly finishing the first half leading 14-9.
Despite a spirited second-half performance from Zamalek and Ali Zein’s injury, Al Ahly managed to seal the win 27-24 to lift the Super Cup and qualify for the Super Globe in Saudi Arabia.
The title marks Al Ahly’s third in their history, all coming against Zamalek, and they will now hope to claim their second-ever Super Globe medal, having finished second in the 2007 version.
Under Spanish manager David Davis, Al Ahly have now claimed three titles this season, having won the domestic double also over their arch-rivals Zamalek.
