CAIRO – Haythem Ayouni scored a sensational 82nd minute freekick as nine-man Al-Masry of Egypt stunned Moroccan side RS Berkane 2-1 as Pyramids held to a barren draw by DR Congo giants TP Mazembe in the first-leg of their CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final ties.
Nine-man Masry beats Berkane
Tunisian defender Haythem Ayouni scored a sensational 82nd minute freekick for Egypt’s Al-Masry to defy the odds and defeated Moroccan side RS Berkane in the first-leg of their CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final match at Alexandria’s Borg el-Arab Stadium.
Al-Masry had two players sent off in the second-half, first Amr Moussa being red carded for a studs up challenge four minutes after the restart while Elyes Jelassi was handed his matching orders for stamping in the 69th minute.
In both instances, the referee had initially given yellow cards, but after consulting replays with the VAR pitch-side monitor upgraded the yellows to reds. Both Moussa and Jelassi will be unavailable for the return tie in Berkane next weekend.
Both times they had men sent off, Masry didn’t look fazed and still attacked, while Berkane failed to maximize on the situation.
They were stunned with eight minutes left and are now left with a huge task in the return tie in Morocco next Sunday.
The single away goal scored will be a source of hope, but Berkane will be regretting their failure to take advantage of their numerical edge.
The home side had broken the deadlock in the 10th minute when Amr Marei slid in to beat the Berkane keeper with a low shot after outmuscling his markers to run on to a Jelassi pass from midfield.
Berkane however drew level seven minutes later through Hamza Regragui who simply tapped in after Chadrack Lukombe’s cross from the right found him unmarked inside the box.
The second-half was hotly contested, two of Masry’s players being sent off, cafonline reported.
But the home side kept fighting and they were rewarded late on when Ayouni scored a sensational freekick from almost 35 yards out to assure victory for Masry.
Mazembe holds Pyramids
The 2019-20 season losing finallists Pyramids FC of Egypt was held to a barren draw by TP Mazembe, in a game they dominated and had chances to score at Cairo’s Air Defence Stadium.
Defender Ali Gabr had a header from an Abdallah Said freekick fly straight to the keeper while Omar Gaber had the best chance of the game in the 19th minute.
The right back went on a menacing run on the wing, Fagrie Lakay putting him through on goal with a back heel. However, his shot one on one with the keeper was saved.
Five minutes to the break, they came close again but were denied by the upright when Ibrahim Adel saw his low effort from a tight angle beat the keeper, but come off the basement of the post.
In the second-half, the home side pushed Mazembe, but the Congolese giants defended resolutely.
Seven minutes to time, Pyramid’s Ahmed Samy came close, but his shot from distance was deflected against the crossbar.
In the first minute of added time, Mazembe almost snatched the win at the death, but John Bakata had a shot from inside the box beautifully saved by the keeper.
Pyramids FC will now face a tough battle to reach the tournament’s semis as they need to beat Mazembe in Lubumbashi in the second-leg next Sunday.
Simba roars past Pirates
Shomari Kapombe’s 68th minute penalty was the difference as Tanzania’s Simba SC edged out Orlando Pirates by a solitary goal in the first-leg of their quarter-final tie in Dar es Salaam.
A full to capacity Benjamin Mkapa stadium came to full life when Kapombe slotted home the spot kick, handing Wekundu wa Msimbazi a slight advantage ahead of next weekend’s return tie in Johannesburg.
Simba dominated much of possession, pushed on by the noisy crowd, but chances were few and far in between. Kwame Peprah had a chance for Pirates with a shot deflected for a corner after a good mazy run into the area.
Simba’s best chance of the opening half fell on their Ghanaian import Bernard Morrison right at the break when he cut in from the right, unleashing a well taken shot that was saved by a fully-stretched Richard Ofori.
In the second half, Simba continued their dominance and had another opportunity in the 54th minute when Chris Mugalu found shooting space from distance, but the effort didn’t gather enough strength, Ofori making a comfortable save.
Ten minutes later though, Simba had a golden chance. The fleet-footed Morrison was brought down by Happy Jele inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot, the VAR confirming as much, awarding Simba a spot kick.
Right back Kapombe stepped up and made no mistake, scoring the opener with Ofori going the wrong way.
Pirates turned the tide on Simba after conceding and they pushed more, seeking to level the scores and most importantly grab an away goal. Substitute Fortune Makaringe came close, in both occasions forcing Aishi Manula to good saves at the near post.
Despite throwing everything at attack, Simba managed to stay calm and guard the slim lead, taking it to the return fixture.
Meanwhile at the June 11 Stadium in Tripoli, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli Tripoli played to a barren draw in a Libyan derby.
