Ahlawi derby

The Ahlawi derby is an association football match between the two Ahly clubs in Libya, Al Ahly Benghazi and Al Ahly Tripoli.
History
The two clubs' rivalry stretches back to the foundation of the Libyan Premier League, in the early 1960s. In the very first season of the new competition, the capital club won the title over two legs 2-0. Encounters between the two were few and far between as they played in the regional competitions that offered a chance to win the national title.
When the competition reverted to a proper league format, replacing the Regional -> Playoff system, the two clubs met again in the 1968-69 season, where the Benghazi club won 1-0 away and drew 0-0 at home. They then proceeded to obtain some good results against the Greens, losing only twice in a 4-year spell between 1969 and 1973.
The rivalry proceeded to become stronger after the 1972-73 season. After battling for the title all season, the clubs faced a one-off playoff match for the title of national champions, which Ahly Tripoli won 1-0. Ahly Benghazi gained some measure of revenge over their rivals, when they won the title by one point, despite Ahly Tripoli remaining unbeaten all season. After the competition reverted to the Regional - Playoff system, the two clubs did not meet again until the 1982-83 season, when Ahly Tripoli defeated Ahly Benghazi 4-2 on aggregate in the playoff semi-finals.
After Ahly Benghazi became a weaker side through the late-80s, Ahly Tripoli and their cross-town rivals Ittihad Tripoli began to take a chokehold on Libyan football. Mishwar al Taweel did not win another league title until 1992, when, ironically, they beat Ahly Tripoli to the title by one point (this at a time when a draw counted for two points, and a loss for one)
The 2008-09 matches between the two both ended in draws, a 2-2 draw in Tripoli and a 1-1 draw in Benghazi.
In 2009-10, the first game ended goalless between the sides at the Hugo Chávez Stadium, but the return fixture was not played due to Ahly Tripoli being removed from the league due to disputes with the Libyan Football Federation.
With the capital club's re-instatement for the 2010-11 season, the rivalry was rekindled, and Salim Aballu settled a cagey encounter at the 11 June Stadium with an 82nd-minute header.
Match results
[http://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?region-12&team1129&team2=2250 goalzz.com (does not show results between 1988 and 2006)]
Related links
*Ahly Tripoli
*Ahly Benghazi

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See Also

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