In their fifth appearance at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, Al-Ahly clinched their largest win in history in the competition, 49:15 against Sydney Uni, edging towards a semi-finals berth thanks to a superior goal difference than Khaleej Club, which previously won by 23 goals against the California Eagles.

GROUP B
Sydney Uni (AUS) vs Al-Ahly (EGY) 15:49 (6:20)

Al-Ahly’s previous largest win at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship was a 35:13 drubbing against Kuwaiti side Al Qadsiya in 2007, their maiden appearance in the competition, but for the match against Sydney Uni, the Egyptian powerhouse needed a larger win to stay in contention for a semi-finals berth of the current edition.

After Khaleej Club had previously won by 23 goals against the California Eagles, a larger win was even more important and Stefan Madsen’s side did their utmost to raise their level, which they did in the first half, opening a 14-goal lead at the break, 20:6, with a strong defensive performance.

Sure, there were some mistakes in attack, but Al-Ahly were strong on that part of the ball too, with centre back Ahmed Khairi dictating the rhythm, with four goals and four assists, constantly disrupting Sydney’s defence. The bulk of the gap was made by two 5:0 unanswered runs, as Sydney failed to muster something in their attack, as the turnovers became more and more predilect in their attacks.

But the final blow was delivered by Al-Ahly between the 25th and 37th minutes, when the Egyptian champions went on a 10:0 unanswered run, as goalkeeper Abdelrahman Taha, the Player of the Match, finished the match with 14 saves and a 58% saving efficiency, basically sealing Sydney Uni’s way to the goal.

As Al-Ahly’s superior depth became more and more apparent, the gap ballooned even higher, with the Egyptian side’s choice to go into Group B, as per the rules regarding the hosts’ rights to choose a group in the preliminary round at the draw, becoming key in a successful placing at the end of the competition.

Two 4:0 runs at the back end of the match, spurred by right wings Omar Hassan and Omar Dahroug, who finished with 15 goals between them, basically decided the match, as Al-Ahly obliterated their previous record for the largest win in the competition by 12 goals.

In the end, Al-Ahly sealed a 49:15 win, beating their record for the largest win and for the largest number of goals scored, as only two outfield players did not score for the Egyptian side. 

With the game against FC Barcelona next, the Egyptian champions will have a rest day and recharge for that match, while Sydney Uni will face the most decorated team at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship on Saturday, with their chances of making it to the semi-finals virtually zero.

Player of the Match: Abdelrahman Taha (Al-Ahly)