By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Al Ahly have overcome the absences and injuries to beat North American champions C.F. Monterrey and reach the Club World Cup semi-finals.
Taking part in the competition for the second year in a row, African champions Al Ahly had to enter the game without several of their key players as some of them are on international duty in the Africa Cup of Nations and another portion is out with injuries.
This coupled with the fact Al Ahly have a 100% losing record against Monterrey, made the Reds considered as an outsider for the game.
However, just a few hours before the clash, Al Ahly were handed a massive boost after head coach Pitso Mosimane had recovered from COVID-19 and was allowed to take charge of the game.
Mosimane made a surprising decision of starting youngster Mohamed Maghrabi, who had made his professional debut just a few weeks ago, while Taher Mohamed Taher started upfront as a sole striker.
Al Ahly will face Brazilian team Palmeiras on Tuesday at 16:30 GMT.
Chelsea will discover their last-four opponents on Sunday when Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal face hosts Al Jazira.
Chelsea play on Wednesday, with the final scheduled for 12 February.
The Blues, who beat Plymouth in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, will fly out without boss Thomas Tuchel after the German tested positive for coronavirus.
The Club World Cup features the winners of the continental cups in Fifa’s six confederations and the league champions from the United Arab Emirates.
The tournament was due to be played in Japan in December but was postponed and moved to the UAE.
However, the revised dates clashed with the culmination of the Nations Cup in Cameroon, where Egypt play Senegal in the final on Sunday at 19:00.