Pitso Mosimane targets swift return to Club World Cup after Al Ahly finish third

South African places the second bronze medal above the first they won in Qatar 2020

Al Ahly manager Pitso Mosimane celebrates after his side beat Al Hilal 4-0 to seal third place in the Fifa Club World Cup 2021 at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National

Al Ahly forward Mohamed Sherif shoots for goal. AFP

Al Ahly midfielder Amr El Solia celebrates after scoring the fourth goal. AFP

Yasser Ibrahim passes the ball. Pawan Singh / The National

Al Hilal goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais saves from Ali Maaloul of Al Ahly. AFP

Yasser Ibrahim of Al Ahly celebrates after scoring against Al Hilal. Pawan Singh / The National

Ahmed Abdelkader scores Al Ahly's third goal. Pawan Singh / The National

Al Ahly's Amr el-Solia celebrates after scoring. AFP

Yasser Ibrahim celebrates after scoring Al Ahly's first goal. Pawan Singh / The National

Fans of Al Ahly before the start of match at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National

Al Ahly supporters in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National

Fans of Al Ahly at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National

Al Ahly manager Pitso Mosimane has said the bronze medal won at the Fifa Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi is a better achievement than the last time they finished third in Qatar 2020.

The African and Egyptian champions thrashed Al Hilal, the Asian Champions League holders, 4-0 at Al Nahyan Stadium on Saturday in the third-place play-off.

Hamdi Fathi opened the scoring in the eighth minute, before Hilal were reduced to 10 men when Matheus Pereira was sent off six minutes later. Yasser Ibrahim doubled Ahly's lead shortly after and Hilal's task to get back into the game was made near-impossible after Mohammed Kano also received his marching orders midway through the first half. Ahly made their Saudi opponents pay by making it 3-0 through Ahmed Abdel Kader five minutes before the break, and Amr El Solia completed the rout in the 64th minute.

“For me, this was the medal this season, it’s better than the medal we won last time,” Mosimane said. “We played against nine men in the play-off but we would have won even if that didn’t happen."

Ahly's preparations for the Club World Cup were significantly affected as they had several players in the Egypt squad which reached the Africa Cup of Nations final. Those players joined the squad at the end of an exhausting campaign but that didn’t help them in the semi-finals, going down to Brazilian side Palmeiras 2-0.

"We arrived for this competition with six of our players on national duty at the Africa Cup of Nations," Mosimane added. “We had many injured players in our squad and many more who joined after the Africa Cup of Nations. To play and win a bronze under these circumstances showed the spirit and character of this team.

“As the head coach, I know how hard it was for us to play at this level with all the issues we faced. So, it was a very satisfying result at the end to return with a bronze.”

Mosimane also paid tribute to the Ahly fans for turning out in large numbers and supporting the team in Abu Dhabi.

“They are great, and they deserve to win championships and titles. I am proud of this crowd, and certainly we always work to make them happy with championships,” he said.

“Ahly has a new mission in the Africa Champions League, which we will fight to win. And returning again to the Club World Cup next year, to play for a better position and a bigger medal.”

Hilal manager Leonardo Jardim took the defeat graciously after the Asian champions were reduced to nine players.

“Our match was as good as over when we had two players sent off in the first half,” the Portuguese said. “We tried to adjust the situation by making changes, in order to control the middle of the field but we were unable to do so, as things changed for the worse, and we were unable to return to the match. The decisions were correct and contributed to our losing control of the match.”