Barcelona kept their hopes of landing the Wembley Cup alive with a 4-1 victory over Al-Ahly on Sunday.
Catalan giants secure comprehensive success over Egyptians
Barcelona kept their hopes of landing the Wembley Cup alive with a 4-1 victory over Al-Ahly on Sunday.
Bojan Krkic, Jose Mariarueda, Jeffren and Pedro got the goals for Pep Guardiola's side, who were given a first-half scare when Hany El Egezy levelled matters for the Egyptian outfit.
Barca, the current holders of the UEFA Champions League crown, made the brighter start in a contest they were expected to dominate following Al-Ahly's 5-0 mauling at the hands of Celtic on Friday.
They appeared set to live up to those expectations when just 16 minutes into the contest Bojan twisted and turned inside the box before drilling a smart finish into the bottom corner from a tight angle.
Al-Ahly temporarily took control of proceedings thereafter, though, and were unfortunate not to snatch an equaliser through Hamed Ali or Mohammed Abou Tricka - who both wasted good chances.
On 31 minutes they finally got their reward as El Egezy beat the offside trap, skipped round Albert Jorquera and rolled into an empty net.
Setback
That setback appeared to wake Barca from their slumber and they restored their lead shortly before the interval when Mariarueda lashed an unstoppable effort into the top corner past a flailing Abdel Hameed Hassan.
Guardiola shuffled his pack at the break, with experienced heads such as Eidur Gudjohnsen, Victor Valdes and Lionel Messi thrown into the action.
It did not take long for Argentine magician Messi to make an impact on proceedings as he played an integral part in Barca's third, which was slotted home at the back post by the unmarked Jeffren on 56 minutes.
The Catalan giants were now rampant and they duly notched a fourth 11 minutes later when Pedro was sent scampering in behind the Al-Ahly back four and smashed a low drive past substitute keeper Ahmed Abel Abdel Moneim.
Al-Ahly did their best to add some respectability to the scoreline during the final 20 minutes, but they were unable to find a way past the formidable Valdes.
