Flavio and Mohamed Aboutrika scored second-half goals Sunday to lead African champions Al Ahly of Egypt to a 2-0 win over amateur side Auckland City in the opening match of the Club World Cup.

Moteab Emad fed Flavio with a pass in the 51st minute at Toyota Stadium and the Angolan striker rifled an angled shot into the top corner, past the outstretched arms of Auckland goalkeeper Ross Nicholson to make it 1-0.

``We scored an early goal in the second half and that gave us confidence,'' said Al Ahly coach Manuel Jose. ``With that confidence we were able to control the game.''

Aboutrika doubled the lead in the 73rd minute with a free kick from the top of the area that sailed over the wall and past Nicholson.

The Dec. 10-17 Club World Cup features the top club teams from soccer's six continental confederations. Last year, South American side Sao Paulo took the title after defeating European heavyweight Liverpool 1-0.

Al Ahly will face South American champions Internacional of Brazil in Wednesday's semifinal in Tokyo.

Tournament favourite Barcelona of Spain will play its first match Thursday against the winner of Monday's quarter-final match between South Korean side Chonbuk and Mexico's Club America.

Defender Riki Van Steeden was off injured when Al Ahly scored its first goal and Auckland City coach Allan Jones said he was proud of the way his team performed.

``For an amateur side to play against such a strong team, I thought we did remarkably well,'' said Jones. ``We showed courage by getting the ball forward but in the end it was not to be.''

Al Alhy controlled play in the opening half but the two teams went into the break scoreless.

Aboutrika missed a golden opportunity in the opening minutes when he was left unmarked but fired wide of the net from close range.

New Zealand's Auckland City is an amateur club that qualified for the tournament by winning all five matches in the Oceania Club Championship in May.

Al Alhy, which finished in last place at the 2005 Club World Cup, qualified with a 2-1 win over Tunisia's Sfaxien for their second straight African Champions League title.

Some 26 teams have won the Club World Cup, which began in 1960 as the Intercontinental Cup. The tournament was known as the Toyota Cup from 1980 to 2004, when it featured the top club teams from South America and Europe, before it became the expanded Club World Cup in 2005.