Following defeat in their respective semi-finals, Al Ahly (Egypt) faced Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) in the third-place play-off at the Al Nahyan stadium. With a bronze medal at stake, Al Ahly started the game at lightning pace, setting a tone of intent from the first whistle before eventually running out 4-0 winners against the nine men of Al Hilal.
Al Ahly centre-back, Yasser Ibrahim, was selected by our TSG as Man of the Match with a strong performance which included bagging two of his side’s four goals. He opened the scoring after just eight minutes, heading home powerfully from Malool’s free-kick. Minutes later, he made an important defensive clearance before scoring his second of the game.
Again, it came from another set play, Malool’s corner delivery initiating the attack before Hany’s shot was blocked. Yasser showed great desire to get to the ball first and headed home to put his side 2-0 up. Despite scoring the goals, Yasser played a key defensive role for his team, with three clearances, three interceptions, two blocks and won a key take on against him.
Steve McClaren observed the game and commented, "Yasser Ibrahim was excellent in this match. He started the game very well and set the tone early from both a defensive and attacking point of view. As a centre-back, to have two goals after just 17 minutes tells its own story.
He was aggressive in how he attacked the ball for both goals and showed that same desire and will to win when he had to defend. He was alert to all the dangers. Intercepting, blocking, tackling. He showed a real hunger to win this game. He’s a very good leader in his team and he leads by example."
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