CAIRO – Egyptian giants Al-Ahly held firm atop CAF Champions League Group B, earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw on Saturday away to Tanzanian champions Young Africans in the fourth round of the group stage.
Young Africans took the lead just before the break when Ibrahim Hamad capitalised on a defensive lapse by Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng in the 45th minute, sending the hosts into halftime with a 1-0 advantage.
Al-Ahly responded strongly in the second half, with Dieng redeeming himself by netting the equaliser in the 60th minute to restore parity for the Egyptian champions.
The draw sees Al-Ahly move to eight points, maintaining their grip on first place in Group B. Young Africans sit second with five points.
Moroccan side Raja Casablanca and Algeria’s JS Kabylie trail in third and fourth positions respectively, both on two points, and are set to face each other on Sunday in Morocco.
Al-Ahly will travel to Algeria to face JS Kabylie in the fifth round of the CAF Champions League group stage on Saturday, February 7.
The Cairo giants opened their continental campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory in the first round, followed by a 1-1 draw against Raja Casablanca. They then claimed a 2-0 win over Young Africans before settling for another 1-1 draw against the Tanzanian side in the return fixture.
Young Africans, meanwhile, began their group stage with a 1-0 win over Raja Casablanca, drew 0-0 with JS Kabylie, suffered a 2-0 defeat to Al-Ahly, and most recently shared the points with the Egyptian heavyweights.
