Egypt's Al-Ahly players celebrate winning their African Champions League (CAF) after their final match against Tunisia's Esperance Sportive de Tunis at the Rades Stadium in Tunis Saturday. Goals from Mohamed Nagui and Walid Soliman handed Ahly the African Champions League crown following a 2-1 away win over holder Esperance of Tunisia. — Reuters TUNIS — Al-Ahly of Egypt won its seventh CAF Champions League title after it defeated Esperance 3-2 on aggregate Saturday in Tunis. Ahly, which forced a 1-1 draw in the first leg final in Alexandria a fortnight ago, beat host Esperance 2-1 in the return leg game. Ahly dominated play from the opening minutes as Esperance preferred to sit back in its defense, probably defending its away goal from the first final in Alexandria a fortnight ago. Ahly will, besides pocketing a cash prize of $1.5 million, represent Africa in next month's FIFA Club World Cup. The emotive resonance of its victory at the end of a testing year, along with its bold playing style, will provide the most satisfaction. Ahly won the tournament having played just 15 competitive games since January - all but one of them in the pan-African competition. It has also had to plot a path to glory without any domestic action - apart from a Super Cup match in September - since 74 of its supporters were killed in rioting during a league match in Port Said in February. Club football has since been halted by Egyptian authorities, leaving Ahly to survive on a diet of cloistered training camps and friendly matches, many of them expensive trips to the Gulf region. Many of the club's influential “Ultras” fans, out of an estimated support base of 50 million, did not want it to play again until justice in the Port Said disaster was served. Esperance had been fancied to retain the trophy after a 1-1 away stalemate in the first leg earlier this month, but history was on Ahly's side after it had previous experience of winning in Tunisia following a home draw. — Agencies
