Desperate for a better performance than last year's last place finish, Ahli make their World Club Championship appearance in Japan on Sunday. Inas Mazhar reports Ahli is scheduled to meet the Oceania representative, Auckland City FC of New Zealand in the opening match of the one- week event on 10 December in Toyota at 19.20h (12.20 CLT). The following day, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC will take on Club América in the National Stadium in Tokyo. The winner of match No 1 will meet Sport Club Internacional in the semi-finals and the winner of match 2 will face Barcelona. The 39-man Ahli delegation arrived in Japan 10 days before the start of the competition to give the players sufficient time to get adjusted to the time difference and the tough weather conditions from which they had suffered last year. The African representative Ahli was scheduled to meet a Japanese league team in a friendly match on 6 December. Before leaving Egypt the Cairo-based team had scored nine goals in just two league matches, blowing down Suez Cement 4-0 before thrashing Olympic of Alexandria 5-1. The African champions have scored 16 goals in their last four matches since winning the African Champions League trophy a month ago. They lead the league standings, two points ahead of Ismaili who have played two matches more. Ahli maintain an unbeaten run of 11 matches in the league and have two matches in hand against Enppi and Haras El-Hedoud. Ahli are among the six champions representing the winners of the six continental champions league competitions: Asia's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (Korea Republic), CONCACAF's Club América (Mexico), CONMEBOL's Sport Club Internacional (Brazil), Oceania's Auckland City FC (New Zealand) and FC Barcelona (Spain) representing Europe, along with Ahli representing Africa. How did these teams reach Tokyo 2006? Despite a dismal performance in their domestic league last season, which saw them finish second from bottom, Jeonbuk entered the AFC Champions League by virtue of their win in Korea's FA Cup. They were, however, immediately drawn in an imposing-looking group featuring Chinese double-winners Dalian Shide, Japanese champions Gamba Osaka, and Da Nang of Vietnam. Nevertheless, the Motors got off to a flying start at home when they twice came from behind to beat Gamba 3-2, thanks largely to two goals from second half substitute Kim Hyeung-Bum. Kim was the hero again with a brace in the final group match against Dalian, as his side rallied to a 3-1 win and advanced to the quarter- finals. It was in the knockout stages that Jeonbuk found themselves deservedly dubbed the 'comeback kings'. Against Shanghai Shenhua, they fought back from a 2-0 deficit to triumph 4-3 on aggregate, and then in their semi-final duel with K- League rivals Ulsan, a 3-2 home loss in the first leg was overcome with a shock 4-1 victory in the return. The first leg of the final against Al-Karama of Syria was not such a dramatic affair as the Motors cruised safely towards establishing a two-goal advantage. The Syrians made it tough in front of their own supporters in the second leg, even managing to draw level, but Ze Carlo's header four minutes from time sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory and a remarkable triumph for these Korean outsiders. Ahli went into this year's edition of the CAF Champions League seeking to become only the third side to successfully defend the title, after TP Mazembe of the former Congo-Kinshasa in the late 1960s and Enyimba of Nigeria in 2004. They were also seeking to make up for a disappointing showing at the 2005 FIFA World Club Cup in Japan, where they fell at the first hurdle and in the process surrendered their long-standing unbeaten record. In this year's Champions League, the Cairo giants breezed past Tusker FC of Kenya in the second round, having been handed a bye in the first. They then had to travel into the unknown to take on Renacimiento of Equatorial Guinea, coming away with a goalless draw in the first leg before cruising home 4-0 in the return to book their place in the group phase. As top seeds in Group A, paired with Asante Kotoko of Ghana, Tunisians CS Sfaxien and Algeria's JS Kabylie, Ahli were expected to have little problem in finishing in the top two in the standings and progressing to the semi-finals. However, they suffered a shock defeat in their first game, ending a two-year run without defeat on African soil, as unheralded Sfaxien inflicted a1-0 defeat in Tunisia. However, Ahli immediately hauled themselves back into contention as they won easily at home against JS Kabylie and then forced a goalless draw away in sweltering conditions in Obuasi against Kotoko. The Egyptians then took command of the group with a 4-0 home win over Kotoko in their fourth group match, with all four goals coming in a blistering opening 20-minute goal spree. Ultimately, qualification was secured when they exacted revenge on CS Sfaxien with a 2-1 win in Cairo, although they lost out on top place to the Tunisians when they were held 2-2 at JS Kabylie in the final match. That meant that the club with the supposed disadvantage of playing the first leg of the semi-final against Group B winners ASEC Abidjan at home, although a 2-0 win left the holders well placed to progress. In the return match in Abidjan, Ahli extended their aggregate lead in the first half with a goal from their Angolan international Flavio but then sweated through the second period as ASEC, needing four goals to overturn the aggregate scoreline, came storming back, scoring twice and then missing a myriad of glaring chances. The first leg of the final in Cairo against CS Sfaxien saw star man Mohamed Abou Treika score again, but the Tunisians -- thoroughly outplayed in the opening 45 minutes -- equalised soon after half-time to silence the home crowd. Ahli therefore went into the second leg as underdogs and were on the way to losing their title on the away goals rule when Abu Treika scored a glorious and dramatic volleyed winner two minutes into stoppage time to steal the title away from their devastated hosts. Despite a horrific domestic campaign last season where they finished an uncommonly unimpressive 13th overall, the Aguilas were in smashing form in the 2006 installment of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. In the first leg against spirited Jamaican outfit Portmore United, 28-year- old striker and fan favourite Aaron Padilla took Club America on his shoulders with a goal in the first-leg win in Texas, and then proceeded to bang home a hat trick in Mexico City to help America through 5-2 on the day and to a cozy 7-3 on the aggregate. Next up, LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica felt the capital club's wrath. With stars Blanco and Lopez back in the side, they ramped up efforts in the first-leg on the road to win 2-1. A duly efficient second- leg nil-all draw was enough to see the club through to a fiesta final against fellow Mexico City outfit Toluca. And in one of the most hotly contested Champions Cup finals of all-time, the first leg of the continental 'derbi' finished 0-0 at Toluca's Estadio Nemesio Diez. The second at the fabled Azteca went predictably America's way, but not all their way. After a desultory 90 minutes of scoreless deadlock, Toluca took the advantage at the start of extra-time only to see Kleber Boas equalise late and unlikely hero, centre-back Duilio Davino, hit home with only seconds to go. Sao Paulo, River Plate, Vélez Sarsfield, Chivas of Guadalajara were just some of the sides fancied by the media to win the 47th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América. But that did not bother Inter, who slowly but surely worked their way into contention for the continent's biggest prize. The warning signs were there as early as the first phase when the club came out of its group unbeaten. Furthermore, they boasted the second-best record of the 32 participating sides, a feat that earned them the right to play the second leg of their subsequent knockout ties at home. In the Round of 16, Abel Braga's men eliminated Nacional of Montevideo, a team they also beat at the group stage. In the next round, they ran up against stiffer opposition in the form of Liga Deportiva of Quito, who inflicted Inter's only defeat of the competition (1-2). However, an emphatic 2-0 win in the return game saw the Colorados safely through to the last four. Next to fall to the all-conquering Brazilians were Paraguay's Libertad, paving the way for the grand finale against reigning continental and world champions Sao Paulo. Inter shocked their hosts at the Morumb� with a brace by Rafael Sobis to take a 2-1 lead in to the second leg, where a thrilling 2-2 draw would see the crowned champions seven days later. On the way to the title, Inter recorded eight wins, five draws and just one defeat, scoring 24 goals and conceding eight in the process. Playing on home territory, pre- tournament favourites Auckland did not have things all their own way despite registering five victories on route to winning the Oceania Club Championship for the first time. They began well enough though, with a 7-0 thrashing of Sobou of Papua New Guinea before easing to a 3-1 win over Marist of the Solomon Islands. But Auckland's third and final group game against their conquerors of last year, Pirae, was the sternest of tests. In an action-packed encounter that ended with both sides reduced to nine men. Pirae's Jose Hmae skied a penalty over the bar in the 79th minute before Graham Little settled the match five minutes from time. Top spot meant an all-Kiwi semi-final clash with YoungHeart Manawatu was safely avoided and instead brought an easier looking match against pre-qualifiers Nokia Eagles of Fiji. Despite going 1-0 down, Auckland turned on the power and scored nine times without reply. Up against Pirae again in the final, the New Zealanders produced a fine all-round performance to win 3-1 in front of their home fans. A Jordan hat-trick, with goals in the 23rd, 41st and 63rd minutes, finished the Tahitians off and booked Auckland City's ticket to Japan. Barcelona cruised into the UEFA Champions League knockout stage, drawing just one of their six games -- 0-0 in Greece, hitting 16 goals and conceding two in topping a group above Werder Bremen, Udinese and Panathinaikos. The last 16 brought a confrontation against Chelsea, their conquerors at the same stage a year earlier, but this time the Catalans proved superior, with Messi mesmerising in a highly charged encounter at Stanford Bridge and Ronaldinho scoring a wonderful solo goal to see off Jose Mourinho and co. More fine first leg displays in the quarter- and semi-finals at Benfica (0-0) and AC Milan (0-1) were successfully completed at the Nou Camp (2-0 and 0-0) and paved the way to a mouthwatering final against Arsenal at the Stade de France in Paris. Despite going a man down early on after the sending off of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, the English side took the lead in the first half. But with the spectre of another failure in the final after defeats in 1961, 1986 and 1994, Rijkaard shuffled his pack with Swedish striker Henrik Larsson setting up late goals for Eto'o and, another substitute, Juliano Belletti as Catalonians took to the streets in wild celebrations.
