Egyptian giants Al-Ahly will aim to close out their CAF Champions League semi-final against Esperance de Tunis when the teams meet for the second-leg match at Cairo’s Al-Salam Stadium behind closed doors on Saturday at 9:00pm Cairo Local Time.
Al-Ahly hold a key 1-0 advantage from the first-leg in Rades, Tunisia, last week, with Mohamed Sherif’s goal midway through the second-half putting them in control of the tie.
Pitso Mosimane’s side need only avoid defeat to ensure they progress into a second successive Champions League final and continue on their path for a milestone and record-extending 10th African crown.
Esperance supporters invaded a training session in Tunis this week and reportedly assaulted several players as anger at the first-leg loss continued.
Before the first-leg in Rades, some hard-core Blood and Gold fans in the national stadium taunted police, who responded by firing tear gas and stun grenades.
History is on the Red Devils’ side, with no team losing a knockout tie after winning the first leg away from home since way back in 1995.
Despite this, Mosimane is taking nothing for granted: “Our players were able to deal well with the [first leg match]. They gave everything they had and therefore we were able to achieve a positive result.
“However, I made sure to tell the players that we have not qualified yet to the final. Al-Ahly and Esperance have a long history of games which prove that winning the first leg doesn’t mean that you’ll qualify to the final.
“We still have a game to play in Cairo and that is what captain Mahmoud El-Khatib, Al-Ahly’s president, said to the players after the game. Moreover, we respect Esperance and their head coach, as they are a big team in Africa.”
Turning the tie around in Cairo is a tall order for the Blood and Gold, as they look to return to the Champions League final for the third time in the past four seasons (following back-to-back triumphs in 2018 and 2019).
Esperance coach Moine Chaabani and his players were accosted by angry supporters earlier in the week, but the tactician has remained composed and insists the semifinal tie is only at the halfway point.
“Things are not decided from the first match unless it’s a big result. In the semifinal coaches will work to finish things in the first match, but it will be a tactical confrontation at the highest level, and for me the match is 180 minutes in Tunisia and Cairo,” said the former defender.
Esperance will also be pleased that the Egyptian Football Association has turned down Ahly’s request to have at least some fans present, meaning the game will be played in an empty stadium.
The aggregate winners will advance to face either South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs or Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca in the final on July 17.
Chiefs look to secure first-ever final berth
Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa will look to secure a first-ever berth in the CAF Champions League final when they host Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca in the return leg of their semi-final tie on Saturday.
The South African giants hold a crucial 1-0 lead from the first leg in Morocco last weekend, where Samir Nurkovic’s first-half, VAR-ratified goal proved the difference between the teams.
No club has lost a knockout tie in the latter stages of the Champions League after winning the first leg away from home since way back in 1995, and the Amakhosi are determined not to become the first.
“It is half-time and we are leading 1-0,” said Chiefs caretaker coach Arthur Zwane according to AFP. “I expect Wydad to come at us from the kick-off with all guns blazing, seeking an early goal to cancel our aggregate advantage.”
Wydad rested their first team for a midweek domestic championship victory at Renaissance Berkane to ensure stars like forward Ayoub el Kaabi will be fresh for the second-leg.
“I cannot fault my players,” veteran coach Faouzi Benzarti said as he recalled the first leg. “They dominated the match but luck was not on our side.”
Wydad has yet to win a Champions League match in South Africa, drawing twice and losing twice against Mamelodi Sundowns over three seasons from 2017.
“We have another 90 minutes, it will be difficult. We were disciplined and we hope to keep a clean sheet at home as well,” said caretaker coach Arthur Zwane.
“Everyone gave 100 per cent, I’m happy with the result and with the clean sheet. We know it’s not over, it’s only halfway. We just have to keep going and working hard,” added first-leg man of the match, goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma.
The Amakhosi’s emergence as possible Champions League winners has been a shock: the club had never even reached the group stage of the competition prior to this season, while their awful domestic form (which ultimately saw the dismissal of highly-regarded coach Gavin Hunt) had not suggested that this team is capable of conquering Africa – yet they are now just 180 minutes away from the ultimate glory in continental club competition.
Wydad, however, will point to their dominance of the first leg as evidence that they can turn the tie around. The Moroccans created chance after chance at the Stade Mohamed V, but were repeatedly denied by the heroics of Bvuma.
WAC’s determination to reach the Champions League final was evidenced in coach Faouzi Benzarti’s decision to field a second-string team in their midweek domestic league clash against RS Berkane – this paid off with a 2-0 away win, leaving their first-choice players fresh for the trip to South Africa.
“We lost with one goal, we still have another match to play in South Africa, the VAR wasn’t used in favour of Wydad like during the previous matches,” Benzarti said ahead of the clash.
“We’ll try to overturn this result in South Africa, I can’t fault the players, they gave one hundred per cent. They were present mentally and physically but this is football. We accept the result and we look forward to doing better in the next match.”
