Egypt"s Al Ahly secured their spot in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Saudi Arabia"s Al Ittihad 3-1 on Friday. The match, part of the tournament"s second round, saw Al Ahly finish the first half with a one-goal lead, thanks to a penalty scored by Tunisian Ali Maâloul in the 21st minute. Karim Benzema of Al Ittihad missed a crucial opportunity to equalize in the first half when his penalty was saved by Al Ahly"s goalkeeper, Mohamed El-Shenawy, in the last minute before the break. In the second half, Hussein El Shahat extended Al Ahly"s lead with a goal in the 59th minute, followed by Imam Ashour adding the third goal in the 62nd minute. In the final minute of the match, Al Ahly"s Anthony Modeste received a red card. Two minutes later, Benzema managed to score a consolation goal for Al Ittihad.