Lacklustre Ahly given reality check after 2-0 loss in Club World Cup

Beset by injuries to key players, including playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika, Ahly slump to a 2-0 defeat by China's Guangzhou Evergrande in the Club World Cup quarter-final

Egypt's Ahly, who defied the odds to win the African Champions League last month, came down to earth after a mediocre display saw them suffer a 2-0 loss to China's Guangzhou Evergrande in the Club World Cup quarter-finals in Agadir on Saturday.
The Cairo giants, already missing key defenders Sherif Abdel-Fadil and Sayed Moawad through injuries, were also deprived of classy playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika in the second half to appear vulnerable against the AFC Champions League holders.
Repeated defensive lapses allowed Guangzhou to take a firm grip on the game, opening the scoring via a goal from Brazilian midfielder Elkeson shortly after the restart before Argentinean Dario Conca added the second to leave Ahly with an uphill climb.
Ahly looked resigned to suffering their eighth loss in 11 Club World Cup games, failing to set up what would have been a mouthwatering clash against European champions Bayern Munich in the semis.
Their cause was not helped by an injury to Abou-Treika just before halftime in a game that could mark his final appearance, having announced he would hang up his boots following the tournament.
It remains to be seen whether the veteran schemer will be able to feature in Ahly's fifth-place playoff against the losers of the other quarter-final tie between hosts Raja Casablanca and Mexico's Monterrey.
Shaky defence
Ahly's defence looked somewhat shaky in an evenly-balanced first half as coach Mohamed Youssef surprisingly opted to field the inexperienced Saad Samir as a central defender instead of the veteran Wael Gomaa who started on the bench.
The Red Devils created the first clear-cut chance though when Abou-Treika, who is in the swansong of his career, missed a sitter after six minutes.
A mis-placed, short pass by Guangzhou keeper Zeng Cheng was intercepted by lone striker Emad Meteb who found Abou-Treika with a pinpoint cross but the talismanic playmaker's free header went just over the bar.
Ahly's defensive gaps were then exposed more than once by Guangzhou, whose attacking strategy was mainly built on finding spaces between the full backs and central defenders via some astute passes.
The Chinese efforts paid dividends in the 49th minute when Brazilian forward Muriqui escaped his marker to run onto a through ball, round keeper Sherif Ekrami and shoot goalwards. Right-back Ahmed Fathi, Ahly's best performer, cleared the ball off the line but Elkeson pounced on the rebound to slot into an empty net.
Ahly's defensive frailties continued to haunt them and Guangzhou deservedly went 2-0 up seven minutes past the hour mark.
It was Muriqui again who initiated the move, escaping the attention of defender Mohamed Naguib to outpace him and break clear. His low shot was blocked by advancing keeper Sherif Ekrami but Conca made the follow-up to fire home.
Ahly had the better possession in the latter stages but hardly created goal-scoring chances, with their only real opportunity falling to attacking midfielder Abdallah El-Said whose powerful drive struck the crossbar with 11 minutes remaining.
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