Mohamed Hany secures Al Ahly's semi-final spot in Fifa Club World Cup

Egyptian team defeat Monterrey 1-0 at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi

Mohamed Hany of Al Ahly after scoring against Monterrey in the Fifa Club World Cup at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, February 5, 2022. All images Chris Whiteoak / The National

Mohamed Hany of Al Ahly after scoring against Monterrey at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Mohamed Hany after scoring the winner for Al Ahly.

Ahmed Abdel Kader of Al Ahly argues with the referee.

Monterrey fans during the game at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Ahmed Abdel Kader of Al Ahly battles with Arturo Gonzalez of Monterrey.

Monterrey head coach Javier Aguirre during the game in Abu Dhabi.

A crisp second-half strike by Mohamed Hany sent Al Ahly through to the semi-final of the Club World Cup after they beat Monterrey 1-0 at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.

The Egyptian giants will now face the might of Palmeiras, the champions of South America, at the same venue in the last four on Tuesday night.

The result was met with delight by the vast majority of the 9,396 spectators that were inside Al Wahda club’s ground.

Predictably, the Ahlawi vastly outnumbered the travelling Monterrey support, and they were in good voice from well in advance of kick off.

That continued throughout, despite the fact the Mexican side controlled the ball for the majority of the game. Monterrey had almost two-thirds of possession in the first half, and poured in shots – 13 in all – on the Ahly goal.

Yet Ali Lotfy, the Egyptian side’s goalkeeper, only had to field one of those efforts, and the clearest opportunities fell the way of the men in red.

In truth, Ahly should have been two-up by the interval, despite only acquiring possession sparingly. In the fourth minute, Ahmed Abdel Kader rolled a lame shot straight at Esteban Andrada, the Monterrey keeper, after Hussein El Shalat’s industry forged an opening against the run of play.

Another clear opportunity fell the way of Taher Mohamed, midway through the half, but the Ahly forward volleyed straight at Andrada from Ali Maaloul’s cross.

A similar sequence played out at the start of the second phase. Namely, Monterrey maintaining ownership of the ball, but doing little of note with it.

It counted against them on 53 minutes when Hany lashed a drive into the middle of the net after Esteban Andrade had flapped at a cross from the left flank.

Monterrey were stung into action, and fashioned their best chance straight after, but Maximiliano Meza’s deft header was tipped onto the roof of the net by Lotfy.

Still the Mexican team controlled the ball. All the while, though, Ahly’s defenders had little trouble keeping them at arm’s length.

As he chased the game, Javier Aguirre, Monterrey’s coach, introduced two forwards with past experience of England’s Premier League.

Vincent Janssen, once Harry Kane’s understudy at Tottenham Hotspur, and Joel Campbell, ex of Arsenal, added little potency to proceedings.

Indeed, Campbell wasted Monterrey's last chance to salvage something, when he blazed a free kick over the bar in injury time.

Defeat would have been a bitter pill for Aguirre to take on what was a homecoming of sorts. The 63-year-old coach had been in charge of Al Wahda for two years, between 2015 and 2017.

The fixture was doubly poignant for him, seeing as he had followed his spell in the UAE with and ill-fated year at the helm of Egypt’s national team.

Many of the Ahly contingent in Abu Dhabi had played under him back then. It was they who were laughing loudest by the end of their reunion in the UAE capital.