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Sao Paulo vs. Palmeiras
Sao Paulo, Brazil
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Rivals, The Offbeat Guide To The 92 League Clubs, is one of the best derby books available.
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| Al Ahly - Zamalek (2-0) |
| African Champions League, 16 Oktober 2005 |
| Stadium : Military Academy Stadium |
| Attendance : 30.000 |
When I entered the stadium 2 hours before the kick-off almost all of the Ahly "Ahlaweya" seats were taken, but on the other side of the stadium the Zamalek fans "Zamalkaweya" were much less than their rivals fans.
The two crowds were quite moderate as the stadium officials were playing songs to calm the tension between the two sets of fans.
But things didn't continue like that as Ahly fans began to chant and support their team and also did Zamalek fans when the stadium lights went on and the excitement came all over the stadium.
When the players of the 2 clubs started their warm up the tension reached its top as Ahly former player and now Zamalek player Ibrahim Saiid came to the Ahly fans and pointed to his red shoes which turned Ahlaweya on and all of them started to insult the player and to cheer against him. Zamalkaweya didn't stand quiet as they began to defend their player against Al Ahly fans and the battle was on.
Ahlaweya started to count from one to 6 to make Zamalkaweya remember the 6-1 loss against Al Ahly 3 years ago. Zamalek fans didn't stand quiet as they started to attack and making fun of Emad Metaeb Al Ahly's striker as he was involved in a fight with a policeman. In response Ahlaweya cheered for the young striker.
When Both teams entered the pitch both sets of fans were cheering their team. Among Ahly fans there were a lot of Japanese flags referring to the World Club Championship which will be held in Japan this year and which the fans are hoping to participate in.
During the first half the two teams performance where almost equal and so was the support from the two groups of fans. In the 39th minute Zamalek striker Gamal Hamza missed the goal from a header and Zamalkaweya begin to cheer and chant for their team. Ahlaweya felt that their team wasn't playing well at the moment so they began to shout all in one voice "Play Ahly".
In the 45th minute Ahly midfielder Mohamed Shawky missed a one on one chance as he shot the ball wide in front of the goalkeeper and Ahlaweya started to cheer for their team again and the referee ended the 1st half.
Things were very quiet between the two halfs as both fans were busy with going to restrooms and buying drinks and food.
At the start of the 2nd half Al Ahly was playing extremely well and the Ahlaweya were very happy with their teams performance and the singing and cheering didn't stop till the 63rd minute when Ahly midfielder Barakat gave his team the lead and the whole stadium turned into the red color and Ahlaweya started to cheer "Ahly Ahly...".
With the chances missed after the goal Ahlaweya start to shout "Al Ahly opened the faculty" and Zamalkaweya remained silent as they watched their team lose.
When the 73rd minute came Barakat scored again to double the lead and give confidence and peace to Ahlaweya who kept cheering and chanting for the team and shouting for Zamalkaweya "Why are you sitting...go home" as really a huge number of them were leaving the stadium. At the end of the match their seats were almost empty.
When the referee announced the end of the match all of the Ahly fans were still at their seats to celebrate with their players qualifying for the final stage of the African Champions League and defeating their rivals in two legs.
Ahlaweya went to all parts of Cairo to celebrate the win beside the stadium, in the steets and the club's headquarters till sunrise in a "red" night.
Report added : 19 Oktober 2005
Report by : Ahmed Nassar
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