USM Alger secured their second Confederation Cup title on Saturday 16 May defeating Zamalek 8-7 on penalties after regular time ended 1-0 in favor of the Egyptian hosts.
Zamalek entered the second leg at the Cairo International Stadium needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from first leg in Algeria and they found the perfect start.
Just two minute into the match, Adam Kaied was brought down inside the penalty area. Palestinian forward Oday Dabbagh stepped up in the fifth minute, calmly converting the spot kick to level the aggregate score at 1-1 and send the home crowd into a frenzy.
The hosts aggressively pushed for a decisive second goal to avoid the looming threat of a penalty shootout. In the 14 minute, Mohamed Ismail found the back of the net with a powerful header but the goal was disallowed keeping the match tightly balanced at 1-0.
Compounding Zamalek’s frustrations starting goalkeeper Mahdy Soliman suffered an injury around the half hour mark forcing abrupt substitution. Backup shot stopper Mohamed Awad was subbed on and immediately made his presence felt pulling off a crucial save in the 43 minute against a dangerous strike from Ahmed Khaldi to preserve the lead before halftime.
๐ฏโฝ๏ธ The decisive moment! Watch the decisive penalty shootout between Zamalek and Ittihad Al-Capital ๐ฅThe kick that gave Al-Ittihad Al-Capital the title of the African Confederation Cup ๐#African_Confederation_Cup#CAFCC pic.twitter.com/RIz40bXDLo
โ beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 16, 2026
The Algerian siege and Benbot’s heroics
The second half saw a dramatic shift in momentum. USM Alger abandoned their defensive posture, completely dominating possession and pinning Zamalek back into their own half.
the Algerian side commanded 65% possession in the closing stretches and outshot Zamalek 9 to 1 up until the 70 minute.
Despite being starved of the ball, Zamalek nearly snatched the title in the 86 minute. A precise cross from Mohamed Ibrahim found Nasser Mansi whose towering header looked destined for the back of the net.
However USM Alger goalkeeper Oussama Benbot pulled off a spectacular save keeping his side alive and sending the final directly into a penalty shootout.
A dramatic 8-7 shootout marathon
With no extra time dictated by tournament regulations, the destination of the trophy came down to a nerve-wracking test from twelve yards.
Zamalek kicked off the shootout, successfully converting their initial wave of high pressure penalties. The Egyptian side found the net.Despite the flawless execution from these 7 player, the marathon shootout ultimately swung in favor of the visitors.
USM Alger held their nerve under the deafening Cairo whistles wrapping up the sudden death sequence with an 8-7 victory to lift the continental crown.
CHAMPIONS. ๐๐USM Alger lift their second #TotalEnergiesCAFCC title. ๐ pic.twitter.com/gv05Nslckk
โ TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC ๐ (@CAFCLCC) May 16, 2026
Champions of Africa
With this dramatic victory, USM Alger has officially secured the CAF Confederation Cup for second time in their history adding to their maiden triumph in 2023.
Meanwhile the defeat marks a bitter pill to swallow for Zamalek who narrowly missed out on claiming a third historic title following their previous tournament victories in 2019 & 2024.
While the White Knights did the heavy lifting early on by erasing the first leg deficit, their passive second half approach allowed USM Alger to control the narrative.
The Algerians showed immense defensive resilience, absorbed the hostile atmosphere and relied on iron-clad composure when it mattered most to take the trophy back to Algiers.
Piala Dunia 2026
Piala Dunia FIFA 2026 akan menjadi edisi paling revolusioner dalam sejarah sepak bola dunia. Turnamen ini untuk pertama kalinya akan diselenggarakan di tiga negara sekaligus, yaitu Amerika Serikat, Kanada, dan Meksiko. Selain itu, jumlah peserta juga meningkat dari 32 menjadi 48 tim, membuka peluang lebih besar bagi negara-negara dari berbagai konfederasi untuk tampil di panggung global. Format baru ini akan menghadirkan lebih banyak pertandingan, atmosfer kompetisi yang lebih luas, serta jangkauan penonton yang semakin besar di seluruh dunia.
Dengan skala yang jauh lebih besar, FIFA menargetkan turnamen ini sebagai ajang yang tidak hanya kompetitif tetapi juga spektakuler dari sisi teknologi dan pengalaman penonton. Stadion-stadion modern di berbagai kota tuan rumah telah dipersiapkan untuk menghadirkan pertandingan berkelas dunia, didukung oleh inovasi seperti peningkatan sistem VAR dan pengalaman digital bagi fans. diprediksi akan menjadi tonggak baru dalam evolusi sepak bola internasional, memperkuat popularitas olahraga ini sekaligus menciptakan momen-momen bersejarah yang akan dikenang dalam waktu lama.
