Mido proves to be Ajax's ace

Mido winner
Fittingly the winning goal at the Cairo Stadium today came from Ajax's Egyptian striker, Mido, the subject of overwhelming attention from media and supporters alike on his return home. It was scored in the 70th minute, when the 19-year-old pounced on a defensive mistake and slotted the ball into the net from the edge of the area. Mido said afterwards: "The match showed that Egyptian football is slowly catching up with Europe but there is still far to go."

Good support
A crowd of more than 30,000 had gathered for the match which was a curtain-raiser to the Meridian Cup competition, which features the eight best Under-17 teams from Europe and Africa and which is promoting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and their 'Children in War' campaign. Dutch double winners Ajax were representing UEFA, while Al-Ahly were taking part as the African Champions League holders.

Intense heat
Despite the friendly nature of the contest, neither side could be accused of a lack of determination in the early stages despite having to play on a difficult pitch in intense heat. It was 25 minutes, however, before Ajax, missing the injured Rafael van der Vaart and Jari Litmanen, created their first real opening. Wamberto launched a mazy run on the left-hand side only to see his cross diverted for a corner. However, this was to prove the launchpad for Ronald Koeman's side to take the lead.

Clever Chivu
Veteran midfield player Richard Witschge took the set-piece and found Cristian Chivu at the near post. The Romanian met the cross with his head and cleverly flicked it past goalkeeper Isam Al Hadary to open the scoring. Al-Ahly responded immediately and put Ajax under considerable pressure. However, the Dutch were in resilient mood and strong defending, along with the help of the woodwork, kept them in front at the break.

Looking lively
Ajax regained the initiative after the restart but seemed content to defend their slender lead. Chivu superbly marshalled the Ajax backline, and he again showed why he is regarded as one of Europe's finest defenders. Up front, it was only Mido, who used to play for Al-Ahly's rivals Zamalek SC, who looked likely to add to Ajax's lead and it was no surprise when he made it two with 20 minutes to play.

Finishing power
Al-Ahly's Dutch coach Jo Bonfrere praised Ajax's finishing power afterwards when he said: "Ajax never go on holiday and when you make mistakes against them you get punished. We created more chances than them but they scored and that's the difference between semi-professionals and professionals."

Deficit reduced
Within two minutes of Mido's strike, however, Al-Ahly had fresh hope when Romanian goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont, back in the Ajax lineup after missing half the season because of a shoulder injury, failed to deal with an Abdel Fattah free-kick. Lobont turned the ball on to his own crossbar and Mohamed Fadl reacted the quickest to pull a goal back for his team.

Koeman satisfied
Ajax coach Koeman said: "We played well in the first 20 minutes but Al-Ahly came back strongly and the goal they managed to score was deserved. I am pleased with our stay in Egypt and for us it was also important to promote the ICRC cause."