2023 Egyptian League Cup final
Football match
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The 2023 Egyptian League Cup final was the final match of the 2022–23 Egyptian League Cup, the second edition of the competition since its establishment in 2021. It was played between Al Masry and Ceramica Cleopatra on 22 July 2023 at Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria.
Borg El Arab Stadium hosted the match | |||||||
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| Date | 22 July 2023 | ||||||
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| Venue | Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Salah Mohsen (Ceramica Cleopatra) | ||||||
| Referee | Ibrahim Nour El Din[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 15,000[2] | ||||||
| Weather | Fair 29 °C (84 °F) 72% humidity[3] | ||||||
Al Masry were looking to win their first major title in 25 years, with their last honour being the 1998 Egypt Cup. Ceramica Cleopatra on the other side participated in a major competition final for the first time in the club's history. Ceramica Cleopatra won the match 4–1 and secured their first-ever League Cup and major title.[4]
A total of 10,000 tickets were available to the public, and each club was given additional tickets estimated to be around 3,000 tickets.[2]
Route to the final
Al Masry
Al Masry entered the competition from the round of 16, and were drawn against Al Ahly. Both clubs share a rivalry since the Port Said Stadium riot occurred in 2012, a disaster that resulted in the death of 74 attendees; 72 of which were Al Ahly fans.[5] The match was scheduled to be played on 27 March 2023, but Al Ahly withdrew the match due to fixture congestion, after their request for postponement was rejected, as the club had a heavy and tight schedule during that period.[6] In the quarter-finals, it was a Canal derby as Al Masry played against Ismaily on 29 April 2023. Al Masry won the match 2–0 with goals from Ragab Omran and Abdo Yehia.[7] In the semi-finals, Al Masry played against the defending champions Future on 24 June 2023. The match ended goalless, and Al Masry won 3–1 on penalties.[8]
Ceramica Cleopatra
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| R16 | Smouha | 1–1 (5–3 p.) |
| QF | National Bank of Egypt | 2–2 (4–3 p.) |
| SF | Al Ittihad | 0–0 (4–3 p.) |
Ceramica Cleopatra also entered the competition from the round of 16, and were drawn against Smouha. The match was played on 21 March 2023, and Ceramica won the tie 5–3 on penalties, after the original scoreline ended 1–1, with their only goal coming from club captain Mohamed Ibrahim.[9] In the quarter-finals, Ceramica played against National Bank of Egypt on 30 April 2023. The match was decided by a penalty shoot-out that ended 4–3 in favor of Ceramica, after the match ended as a 2–2 draw, with Ibrahim and Salah Mohsen scoring the club's two goals.[10] In the semi-finals, Ceramica played against Al Ittihad on 26 June 2023. The match ended goalless, and, for the third consecutive time for Ceramica, was decided on penalties, which resulted in Ceramica winning the shoot-outs 4–3.[11]
Venue
Unlike the previous final, which was played at the Cairo International Stadium in Cairo, the match was played at Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria, Egypt. It is one of the home venues for the Egypt national team, and occasionally hosts selected matches for different clubs in Egypt.
The last domestic final hosted at the stadium was the 2021 Egyptian Super Cup match on 21 September 2021 between Al Ahly and Tala'ea El Gaish, which was won by the latter 3–2 on penalties.[12]
Officials
The match officials were announced on 21 July 2023, one day before the final. Ibrahim Nour El Din was chosen as the head referee for the match, with Samir Gamal and Youssef El Bosaty as the assistant referees, and Mohamed El Sabahy as the fourth official. Mohamed El Hanafy was named the video assistant referee, and was assisted by Hany Abdel Fattah.[1]
Match
Details
     Al Masry
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   Ceramica Cleopatra
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[1]
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Match rules
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Statistics
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Notes
- Each team was given only three opportunities to make substitutions, excluding substitutions made at half-time.