Mohamed El Shenawy saved a late penalty from Anthony Gordon, but Barcelona held on to beat Al Ahly 2-1 in the Joan Gamper Trophy at Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday.
The Al Ahly goalkeeper denied Gordon in the first minute of stoppage time after the referee awarded Barcelona a penalty following a challenge by Al Ahly right-back Ahmed Eid.
Gordon, the England international, stepped up to take the spot-kick but was unable to beat El Shenawy, who produced a decisive stop to prevent Barcelona extending their lead to three goals.
The save gave Al Ahly hope of salvaging a result, although Barcelona ultimately secured victory in the match.
Egypt international Hamza Abdelkarim opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 30th minute against his former club. Raphinha then doubled the hosts’ advantage from the penalty spot shortly before half-time, in the 45th minute.
Al Ahly responded early in the second half when Ahmed Sayed Zizo reduced the deficit in the 51st minute. He broke clear of the Barcelona defence before finishing with a powerful shot past the goalkeeper.
Barcelona were then involved in another penalty appeal in the 72nd minute. Al Ahly players called for a spot-kick after Ahmed Nabil Koka went down following a challenge from Brian Farinas, the young Barcelona player, as the pair attempted to deal with a cross.
The referee rejected the appeal and instructed play to continue, leaving Al Ahly still trailing by one goal.
Despite El Shenawy’s late intervention, Barcelona managed to see out the rest of the contest and claim the Joan Gamper Trophy.
The fixture was played as part of the 61st edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy, a competition traditionally used by Barcelona as a pre-season event. This year’s match was notable because it featured an African club for the first time in the tournament’s history.
El Shenawy’s penalty save was the final major moment of a match in which Barcelona twice established a two-goal advantage, only for Al Ahly to respond through Zizo and make the closing stages competitive.
The Al Ahly captain’s stop from Gordon was also the clearest opportunity to change the outcome after the Egyptian side had narrowed the gap. Gordon had been presented with the chance to restore Barcelona’s two-goal cushion, but El Shenawy read the attempt correctly and kept the score at 2-1.
Barcelona therefore completed the match as winners, while Al Ahly were left to reflect on a spirited performance that included a second-half goal and a late penalty save, but not an equaliser.
