Ahly lose to Barcelona in Joan Gamper Trophy

Ahram Online , Wednesday 19 Aug 2026

Cairo giants Ahly slumped to a 2-1 defeat by Spanish champions Barcelona at the Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday in the Joan Gamper Trophy, as both sides concluded their preparations for the new season.

Photo courtesy of Al Ahly SC

Former Ahly striker Hamza Abdelkarim, who joined Barcelona last winter, opened the scoring for the La Liga champions in the 29th minute, while Brazilian winger Raphinha converted a penalty to double their lead just before halftime.

Ahmed “Zizo” Sayed pulled one back for Ahly in the 51st minute, while goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy saved a penalty from Anthony Gordon to prevent Barcelona from adding a third goal.

The Egyptian side produced a poor performance in a one-sided first half before improving after the break, when they scored their consolation goal on a rare counter-attack.

Ahly’s new coach Houcine Ammouta introduced several new signings, including Algerian striker Mounsef Bakrar, Moroccan forward Soufiane Benjdida, forward Aqtay Abdallah and returning midfielder Akram Tawfik.

The match marked the first appearance by an African club in the traditional friendly tournament, which served as Barcelona’s final fixture before the start of the new season.

Ahly will begin their league campaign on Sunday against Sharkia-Enppi, while Barcelona will take on Elche later that day.

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