As the delirious Al Ahly faithful celebrated wildly, a beaming Marcel Kohler embraced his players and coaching staff, savouring a seismic 3-0 victory over Mazembe that booked their place in another CAF Champions League final.Yet while this was a night to rejoice in keeping them in the hunt for Africa’s biggest club game for a staggering 12th time, the Swiss coach knows greater glories potentially await his all-conquering side.”I am very happy with the players’ focus and performance throughout the match and reaching the final,” Kohler beamed at the post-match press conference.”The players played a great match and imposed control over the course of the game.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8063312##Rarely can those words have rung more true. Staring elimination in the face after Joel Beya’s effort was ruled out, Al Ahly responded with the kind of big-game bravery that has become their trademark under Kohler’s astute leadership.Headers from Mohamed Abdelmonem and Wissam Abu Ali finally broke Mazembe’s resistance, before Akram Tawfik’s stoppage-time thunderbolt completed an exhilarating comeback that had Cairo rocking.CAF CL: Sun goes down for Sundowns as they concede from a single shot on target, Al Ahly routinely to finalYet for all the euphoria, there was a telling glimpse into the mentality driving this all-conquering Al Ahly machine as Kohler played down the looming final showdown with Esperance.”I am not thinking about facing the Tunisian club at the moment,” he stated bluntly.”Our focus is on the league matches and then we devote ourselves to them.”Those measured tones belie a burning desire to make history as the first side to win four CAF Champions League crowns in five years – a feat that would cement Al Ahly’s status as one of world football’s great modern giants.CAF CL: Clash of the titans between Ahly and Esperance to light up grand finalOf course, to achieve that Kohler must first negotiate the challenge of Esperance, the same side that shocked the Egyptians in the 2018 final to deny them the title.Even that daunting prospect, though, seems unlikely to faze a coach who has instilled an indomitable belief and hunger for glory in his players this season.As the celebrations finally died down in Cairo, the Al Ahly faithful began turning their attention to that monumental two-legged showdown against their old Tunisian rivals.
