Ahly s Egyptian midfielder Hussein el-Shahat (C) attemtps a shot during the FIFA Club World Cup first round football match between Egypt s Al-Ahly and New Zealand s Auckland City at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier on February 1, 2023. AFP
"As players, we talked about the possibility of reaching the final. Why not? Our aim is to win the title this time. Hopefully luck will be on our side, as we’ve performed better every time we’ve played at this tournament." El-Shahat told FIFA+ after the game.
El-Shahat scored Ahly's first goal to become the first African and Arab player to score in three Club World Cups and the fourth globally after Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 30-year old winger scored his first goal with Emarati side Al-Ain in 2018 leading his team all the way to the final before losing to Real Madrid. He scored again in 2020 when Ahly won the bronze medal. He fired blank in 2021 despite Ahly claiming back-toback bronze medals before completing his treble in this edition against Auckland City.
"I’d like to thank my teammates for helping me write history with this achievement, I want to score in the next match and the one after that, and to make Al Ahly’s great fans happy," El-Shahat concuded.
Ahly will face Seattle Sounders of US in the quarter finals on Saturday 4 February and the winner will advance to face Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
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