Egyptian giants Al-Ahly have been knocked out of the Fifa Club World Cup after being thumped 4-1 by Real Madrid in their semi-final encounter on Wednesday night.
Despite displaying a solid performance in their tournament opener against Auckland City, scoring the third goal in their 3-0 victory and starting in their 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders – Tau was overlooked by newly appointed coach Marcel Koller against the European champions.
The South African-born forward came off the bench to replace Mohamed Sherif in the second half and struggled to make an impact against the Spanish giants – with his side already 2-0 down.
It was Tau’s third time playing against Madrid, having last faced them in the UEFA Champions League group stages in 2019 during his stint with Club Brugge, where he produced one of his best performances in their 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, the African champions got a lifeline and reduced the goal deficit to one when Tunisian international Ali Maâloul converted a penalty kick in the 65th minute after Hussein El Shahat was brought down by Eduador Camavinga – sending goalkeeper Andriy Lunin the wrong way.
Madrid scored two late goals in stoppage time to book their spot in the final, thanks to goals from Brazilian Rodrygo and substitute Sergio Arribas.
Disappointing result. #ClubWC#YallaYaAhly pic.twitter.com/oAz5wgUwQp
— Al Ahly SC 🇬🇧 (@AlAhlyEnglish) February 8, 2023
The defeat means Al Ahly fall short in the semi-final stage for the third consecutive Club World Cup campaign. They now have to go past South American champions Flamengo in the third-place clash on Saturday, in order to retain their third spot finish and clinch the bronze medal once again.
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