2005: Sheer disappointment Arab surprise Manuel Jose's side were about to rise to the global stage for the first time after conquering Africa in an emphatic fashion symbolized by a 14-match unbeaten run in the competition. But it was a totally different story as the Reds headed to the freezing Asia to meet the champions of the world's largest continent in the opening game. It was an all-Arab meeting though, with Ittihad Jeddah condemning the Egyptian champs to their first defeat of the year, thanks to a scruffy goal by star midfielder Mohamed Nour. It was a poor display from Jose's men but veteran Essam Al-Hadari knows he should have done a lot better with the goal that forced Ahli down for a fifth-place playoff against another Asian side. Ahli team: Al-Hadari – Shady, Gomaa, A. Al-Sayed, Al-Shater (Ashour), Gilberto (Abou-Mosallam) (Hosni) – Shawky, Mostafa, Barakat, Abou-Treika – Meteb. Yorke and Co. This time it was Sydney FC of Australia; a club that was only founded one year before their inaugural participation in the Club World Cup. The Australians were lifted by the influence of former Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke, who netted the opener before an Emad Meteb equalizer leveled the score on the stroke of half time. With Al-Hadari benched in favor of Nader Al-Sayed; the long-serving Egypt goalie conceded the goal that sent Ahli home without a win after he was beaten by Australia international David Carney. Ahli team: N. Al-Sayed – Al-Nahhas (Shady), A. Al-Sayed, Gomaa, Abdul-Wahab, Barakat – Shawky, Ashour, Abou-Treika – Meteb, Hosni (Al-Shater). 2006: A historic venture Solid start This time Jose made sure his team had learnt from the disappointing campaign of last year by heading to Japan 10 days before kickoff to help players adapt to the tough weather conditions. Playing against an amateur Auckland City side and still buoyed by their dramatic Champions League triumph over Sfaxien, Ahli proved they mean business this year by outclassing the New Zealand outfit 2-0 in the opener. A quality freekick from Abou-Treika and a well-taken goal by Angolan ace Flavio embodied the attractive football played by Jose's men at the time. Ahli team: Al-Hadari – Gomaa, Shady, M. Sedik, Al-Shater (A. Sedik), Shedid (Mensah) – Shawky, Ashour, Abou-Treika – Meteb (T. Al-Saied), Flavio. Honorable defeat The next stage was a lot tougher for the Reds, who were braced for their first-ever meeting with a Brazilian team in the shape of then-South-American champs Internacional. Ahli proved they are no pushovers after giving the Brazilians a tough contest, which saw a Flavio header cancel out the opener of then-teenager Alexandre Pato. But the Egyptians were denied by another teenager as forward Luiz Adriano headed home a corner in the 72nd minute to snatch the final ticket for Internacional. Ahli team: Al-Hadari (Amir) – Al-Nahhas, Gomaa, Shady, T. Al-Saied, Al-Shater (A. Sedik) – Shawky, Ashour, Mostafa (Meteb), Abou-Treika – Flavio. Treika magic The Internacional defeat might have ended Ahli's journey in Japan, but the African masters were far from done as they would go on to produce one of the tournament's memorable displays in the third-place playoff. It was Mexico's Clube America who were stunned by an all-round performance from the Reds, inspired by a sensational brace from Abou-Treika. The legendary midfielder hit a trade-mark freekick that was replied to by Salvador Cabanas, but the Mexicans' comeback was stopped in its tracks by a superb winner from Treika. A scintillating one-two play that could hardly be forgotten by any Ahli fan gave Abou-Treika the chance to seal the bronze medal for his team and finish as the competition's top scorer. Ahli team: Amir – Al-Nahhas, Gomaa, Shady, T. Al-Saied, Al-Shater (A. Sedik) – Shawky, Ashour (Mostafa), Abou-Treika – Flavio, Meteb (M. Sedik) 2008: Pachuca shock! Devastating drama After clinching bronze in 2006, Ahli were ready to punch above their weight this time and what they've done to America two years ago made them a notorious figure for the latter's Mexican rivals Pachuca. Brimming with confidence, Ahli were off to a perfect start when they went to the break with a 2-0 lead, thanks to an own goal by Fausto Pinto and one from Flavio. But Pachuca coach Enrique Meza made a couple of half-time changes that saw his side fire on all cylinders to stage a superb second-half comeback and level the score at 2-2. With the momentum on their side, the Mexicans completed the fightback by scoring two more goals in extra time, sending Ahli home in a shocking fashion. Ahli team: Amir – A. Al-Sayed, Gomaa, Shady, Gilberto (Yasser), Fathi (Moawad) – Hassan (A. Sedik), Ashour, Barakat, Abou-Treika – Flavio. Another disappointment The impact of the Pachuca defeat was obviously still haunting Jose's side, who were beaten by the unfashionable Adelaide of Australia in the fifth-place playoff. A 7th minute striker by Brazilian forward Cristiano was enough for the Oceania champions, with Ahli looking nowhere near the form that impressed the world two years earlier. Ahli team: Amir – Adel, Gomaa, Shady, Moawad (Yasser), Fathi – Hassan (Yasser), Ashour, Barakat, Abou-Treika (Hosni) – Flavio (Al-Egeizi).
