Al Ahly has won 121 domestic titles, 24 African titles and 5 World titles making it a total of 150.
The Red Devils are by far the biggest club on the African continent as no team gets closer to them in terms of trophies, popularity and standard.
They are serial winners as they have won in almost every country on the continent.
Since the rebranding of the African Cup of Champions Cup to the CAF Champions League, Al Ahly has visited Ghana on 4 occasions in the Money Zone of the CAF Champions League but the Red Devils are yet to record a single win.
Al Ahly’s first visit to Ghana in the Money Zone era was a trip to Accra to face the imperious Accra Hearts of Oak on MD3 of the 1999 CAF Champions League. The Phobians won 2-1. Group A included Raja Casablanca and Shooting Stars with the Moroccans being clear favourites to top the group.
In 2000, en route to conquering Africa, Jones Attuquayefio’s Hearts of Oak commenced their campaign with a 2-1 win over the Egyptians on MD1 even after missing the services of the deadly trio; Ishmael Addo, Charles Taylor and Emmanuel Osei.
Allaa Ibrahim connected a free kick in the 31st minute as Eben Dida was completely beaten to give the Cairo club a 1-0 lead. An own goal put the score 1-1 for Hearts of Oak with Emmanuel Donkor snatching the winner on the stroke of full-time for the Phobians.
Al Ahly’s third visit to Ghana was in 2006 when coach Afranie’s Asante Kotoko drew 0-0 with the Egyptians in Obuasi.
In 2012, Berekum Chelsea drew 1-1 with Al Ahly in Accra after Jordan Opoku’s 52nd-minute strike cancelled Anicet’s 43rd-minute opener for the Egyptians.
This is how Al Ahly has fared in the Money Zoney era in Ghana in the CAF Champions League.
Before the Money Zone was introduced, Al Ahly had never won in Ghana. The Egyptian’s first game in Ghana was in 1977 in the Quarter-finals of the CCL when Al Ahly won the first leg 1-0 in Egypt. Hearts of Oak emphatically won 3-0 to qualify for the semi-finals in the second leg in Ghana.
The Red Devils of Cairo’s first-ever meeting against Kotoko in Kumasi was in the 1982 finals when Ahly snatched a 1-1 draw in the second leg after thrashing Kotoko 3-0 in the first leg. Bannerman’s 12th-minute opener gave the Fabolous fans hope for a comeback but El Khatib equalised to kill the dreams of the fans with 20 minutes to full-time.
Asante Kotoko revenged in the 1983 finals by winning through Opoku Nti’s 22nd-minute goal after drawing 0-0 in the first leg.
In 1987, Al Ahly lost 1-0 in Kumasi in the second leg of the semi-finals after the Red Devils had won the first leg 2-0.
Hearts of Oak has a superior head-to-head record over the Egyptians.
Hearts has recorded 3 wins over Al Ahly-all in Ghana. Al Ahly has beaten Hearts of Oak twice- all in Egypt and drew 1 in 2000 in Cairo.
Asante Kotoko has won twice( 1983,1-0), (1987, 1-0), in Kumasi, lost three in Egypt and drew 3 (2 in Ghana and 1 in Cairo) in the 8 games played against Ahly in the CAF Champions League.
In total, Al Ahly has been beaten 5 times in Ghana and drawn 3 ( 2 against Asante Kotoko and 1 against Berekum Chelsea).
The onus is on Nebojsar Kapor’s Mauve and Yellow to protect Ghana’s unbeaten run against the giant of African football.
Ismaily, the first Egyptian side to play in Ghana (1969) visited Ghana three times (all v Kotoko) before the Money Zone and didn’t win a single game. (2 defeats, 1 draw).
Zamalek also has visited Ghana three times in the CCL and has lost all games.
Ghanaian clubs have done incredibly well against Egyptian opponents in Ghana.
Medeama entertains Al Ahly on Friday at 4 pm in Kumasi.
**Note : The statistics consist of only the African Cup of Champions Cup: 1964-65 to 1996 and the Money Zone of the CAF Champions League (1997 to date).
