CAIRO, Dec 22: As the final whistle blew in the African Champions League final, Al-Ahly striker Khaled Bebo lifted his red jersey to reveal a T-shirt with the figure three on the back.

It was an appropriate number as Bebo had scored the hat-trick Friday night that earned his Egyptian club a 3-0 victory over Sundowns of South Africa in the second leg of the final.

Al-Ahly triumphed 4-1 on aggregate having drawn the first leg 1-1 in Pretoria two weeks ago and collected a record one-million-dollar prize for emerging victorious after a 14-match campaign that began last March.

Bebo, who would not be out of place in Hollywood with his swarthy good looks, starred in the role of assassin, converting three of five scoring chances to raise his Champions League tally to six.

The hat-trick ended an eight-match barren spell as he had not struck the net since scoring once in each leg of a second-round qualifier against Saint Michel United from Seychelles seven months ago.

Bebo missed the first leg of the final through suspension, but it took him just seven minutes at the Cairo Stadium to make his intentions known before a capacity 100,000 crowd.

A dribble that mesmerised three South Africans led to a free kick which he took and when goalkeeper John Tlale fisted it away, the ball was quickly played back into the penalty area.

Sundowns’ defence stood still, waiting for the offside flag that was never raised, and Bebo rounded Tlale before seeing his cross from an acute angle hastily cleared by Matthew Booth.

The first clearcut chance for Bebo fell after 35 minutes when he found himself free inside the penalty area, but the radar malfunctioned for once and he blazed over.

Within two minutes 1982 and 1987 champions Al-Ahly were ahead as Sundowns carlessly conceded possession in midfield and a quick pass set Bebo against Fabian McCarthy.

As the Egyptian pushed the ball past his opponent inside the area, the South African stuck out his right foot and Moroccan referee Abderrahim al-Arjoune pointed to the spot.

Tlale dived the right way, but Bebo had struck the ball too low and too fast for the veteran goalkeeper to have any chance and the systematic destruction of Sundowns had begun.

What the goal-shy visitors could not afford was to fall further behind before half-time in front of a 100,000 crowd on a crisp evening in the Egyptian capital, but with 45 minutes gone, Bebo snatched his second.

Once again former South Africa defender McCarthy must take some blame as he allowed Mohamed Farouk to pass him and the Egyptian raced into the penalty area before cutting the ball back for Bebo to fire wide of Tlale.

If Sundowns had held their own in the first half without being able to finish off some good approach play, they dominated the second to such an extent that Tlale became a spectator.

But after hitting the woodwork twice and being thwarted countless times by the brilliance and bravery of goalkeeper Essam al-Hadary, Sundowns were dealt a cruel blow in the final minute.

Another quick pass from a deep position proved the undoing of the South African defence and fancy footwork by Bebo took him clear of Michael Manzini and, as Tlale advanced, he clinically stroked the ball into the net.

Had Bebo been a South African, Sundowns would surely be champions of Africa as they won the two-leg possession battle comfortably and also struck the woodwork twice at Loftus Stadium in Pretoria.

But they were let down by young strikers Carlo Scott and Hareaipha ‘Simba’ Marumo and the advancing years have blunted the predatory instincts of midfielder and captain Daniel Mudau.

Just reaching the showpiece of African club football was an amazing feat for a team that managed just two goals in six mini-league matches and failed to score in five consecutive away assignments.—AFP