* I’ve learned at Al Ahly that after we finish one tournament, the fans ask us about the next one
* This is not a good thing, as they don’t know how to celebrate and enjoy these moments
Maravi Express
Al Ahly coach Marcel Kohler has called on the club’s supporters to savour their record-extending 12th CAF Champions League triumph before immediately turning their attention to the next trophy.
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The Swiss tactician guided the Egyptian giants to back-to-back continental crowns with Saturday’s 1-0 win over Esperance in the final’s second leg in Cairo.
However, Kohler admitted he expects demands for another CAF Champions League title to start immediately from Ahly’s insatiable fanbase: “I know the fans will demand the 13th title for me as soon as I arrive at the residence hotel,” he said after Roger Aholo’s early own goal secured victory in front of over 70,000 fans at the Cairo International Stadium.
“I’ve learned at Al Ahly that after we finish one tournament, the fans ask us about the next one, and this is not a good thing, as they don’t know how to celebrate and enjoy these moments.
“Looking for titles is a good thing, but it’s important to know how to be happy. I am like Al Ahly’s fans, hungry for titles, and my ambition is to help the team achieve more success.”
The 51-year-old Kohler, who has now won eight Egyptian and African trophies in two years at the helm, urged a sense of perspective after another historic achievement: “We faced a strong team and tried to break up their play to score, while being careful not to concede goals.
“We focused on scoring in the first quarter of an hour. It doesn’t matter who the goal was awarded to — whether an own goal or Ramy Rabia’s. I set more than one scenario and we didn’t rush after the first goal, as that’s what Esperance wanted.
“We dealt well with the game. Esperance didn’t create dangerous chances apart from long shots. Final matches are like chess games and we got what we wanted.”
The former Zurich and Grasshoppers boss reserved praise for Esperance, who were aiming to end a decade-long wait for their third Champions League crown.
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“Al Ahly passed through difficult stages to reach the final, just like Esperance, who are a strong team as they succeeded in overcoming Sundowns home and away and presented distinguished levels. We achieved record numbers and deserved to reach the final.”
Ahly’s victory underlines their status as the competition’s most decorated club.
Meanwhile, Esperance coach Miguel Cardoso expressed pride in his players despite their defeat — insisting they gave their all in a losing cause.
For Cardoso and his Esperance side, it marked the end of their bid to be crowned African club champions for the first time since 2019. However, the Portuguese was in defiant mood when reflecting on their narrow aggregate loss to the continent’s most decorated side.
Miguel Cardoso
“I am certainly not happy about losing the title, but I am proud of what my team presented and of reaching the final,” Cardoso told reporters. “We fought until the end and showed great character, even though conceding an early goal against a big team like Al Ahly is not easy.”
The Blood and Gold had given themselves a mountain to climb when going behind with just four minutes on the clock, as Aholo inadvertently turned the ball into his own net under pressure.
But Cardoso felt there was no shame in coming up short against the competition’s most successful-ever club, particularly given Esperance’s exploits in reaching successive CAF Champions League finals.
The final match
“We have a young team, and we succeeded in qualifying for the Club World Cup, and we must support this team during the coming period,” the 47-year-old said.
“I have been with Esperance for only four months, and we succeeded in building many things that were missing. During the last period, we said everything we had, but we were not lucky.”
Cardoso added they will take solace from the progress made under his tutelage as he aims to build a side capable of going one better next season.
In front of over 70,000 fervent home supporters on Saturday, the Tunisian outfit displayed the sort of resilience and organisation that took them to the final before being ultimately undone.
CAF Champions League Honours List
Since 2016, South African side Mamelodi Sundowns — who are the inaugural champions of the African Football League which they won in 2023 — are the only club outside North Africa to have won the CAF Champions League.
It has been dominated by Egypt’s Al Ahly (4 times), Tunisia’s Espérance de Tunis (twice) and Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca (twice).
The following is the honours list since 2016:
2016: Mamelodi Sundowns
2017: Wydad Casablanca
2018: Espérance de Tunis
2019: Espérance de Tunis
2020: Al Ahly
2021: Al Ahly
2022: Wydad Casablanca
2023: Al Ahly
2024: Al Ahly
* Pictures and reporting by CAFonline, editing by Maravi Express