Al Ahly clinched their 12th CAF Champions League title following a 1-0 win over Esperance Sportive de Tunis in the second leg of the final on Saturday evening.
There were only one make-up by the host from the first-leg, with Karim Fouad introduced ahead of Ali Maaloul before South African international Percy Tau earned another start.
It was the perfect start on four minutes in for the host when Rami Rabia managed to leap high in the box to head in a surging cross from a corner-kick with Amanallah Memmiche well beaten.
Ahly did fashion a second a few moments later from the breakthrough, but Ahmed Tawfik went into the side-netting from a tight angle after coming short to the six-yard area.
Tau came extremely close to get in on board past the half-hour mark where a loose ball high up allowed him to intercept and slammed off the side-netting.
In the second half, the four-time champions preferred to go to the substitutes bench and in that introduced Raed Bouchniba for Mohamed Ben Ali.
Both teams were out firing and in a desperate quest to find the back of the net, but a combination of factors from rushed forward passes to poor finishing proved their undoing.
Esperance were agonizingly close to level it up when Brazilian Yan Sasse dropped a shoulder outside the area and curled wide of the top corner.
Momentum reverted back to the host a few minutes later and had Emam Ashour cut in on the left of the area to draw a save off Memmiche.
Ahly once more enjoyed the brighter openings near full-time as substitute Mohamed Magdy Afsha hit the upright following a curling free-kick.
The Cairo Red Devils remained in control as the final whistle went to see them record victory and an 12th Champions League title.
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