CAIRO/ PRETORIA —Title holders Al-Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa have clinched their spots in the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League.
They will now face the winner of the match between TP Mazembe and Petro de Luanda in the semi-finals of the competition, as they seek to retain the title.
Al-Ahly has won the CAF Champions League 11 times in their history.
The Red Devils reached the last four thanks to goals by midfielder Amr el-Sulaya and Mahmoud Kahraba.
The Cairo-based side displayed their dominance from the outset, seeking an early breakthrough to unsettle their opponents.
Ahly’s French striker Antony Modeste threatened Simba’s defence in the 11th minute, but his header narrowly missed the target.
Modeste came close again in the 22nd minute, only for the referee to disallow the goal for an offside call against his teammate, winger Hussein El-Shahat, who provided the assist.
Despite Simba’s attempts to advance and create opportunities, they found themselves thwarted by Al-Ahly’s goalkeeper, Mostafa Shobier, who made crucial saves in the 33rd minute to keep his team’s goal intact.
The first-half ended goalless, with both teams locked in a battle for supremacy, cafonline.com reported.
However, Al-Ahly broke the deadlock early in the second half when El-Sulaya capitalized on a chance in the 47th minute, firing a powerful shot past Simba’s Moroccan goalkeeper, Ayoub Lakred, to give his side a 1-0 lead.
Simba intensified their attacks in search of an equalizer, but their efforts were in vain. Meanwhile, Al-Ahly remained proactive in attack, aiming to extend their lead.
In stoppage time, Al-Ahly was awarded a penalty after El-Shahat was fouled inside the box.
Mahmoud Abdel-Moneam ‘Kahraba’ stepped up to take the spot-kick and calmly converted it in the 90+6th minute, sealing a 2-0 victory for Al-Ahly over Simba.
In Dar es Salaam, despite playing in front of a roaring 60 000 capacity crowd, Ahly, last week, displayed their experience as they managed a hard-fought 1-0 win.
An early goal by Ahmed Kouka was enough to secure the first-leg victory for the Egyptian giants who did well to absorb the ongoing pressure from Simba throughout the encounter.
As expected, the hosts were the first to ask questions of their opponents as early as the first minute after an inviting ball into the danger area connected with the head of Sadio Kanoute whose effort went just over the bar.
However, it was the defending champions who drew first blood after a Mohamed Hany drove down the right flank to send a dangerous ball that almost went in as an own goal but rebounded off the keeper for Ahmed Kouka to fire home from close range.
Despite conceding early, Simba was not derailed by the concession as they continued searching for the equaliser.
Clatous Chama almost pulled one back in the 22nd minute after a clever flick was met by a quick reaction by Shobeir who flicked it to safety.
Shobeir, who gave a stellar performance in the absence of Ahly’s number one, Mohamed el-Shenawy was again called to action in the 38th minute when a stinging effort by Kanoute found the keeper on high alert as he made the save.
Coming back from the break, the hosts continued piling on the pressure but hardly did much to break the stubborn and highly experience Ahly back found who were resilient and thwarted all of Simba’s attacks.
Sundowns beat Young Africans
After tense penalty shootouts, Sundowns claimed 3-2 victory over Young Africans of Tanzania at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
The South African giants had to dig deep to overcome their resilient Tanzanian opponents, with the match culminating in a goalless draw after extra time.
The dramatic shootout unfolded, ultimately ending 3-2 in favour of Sundowns.
Young Africans proved to be formidable adversaries, fiercely contesting every ball and frustrating their South African counterparts.
Despite relentless pressure from Sundowns, the Tanzanian side held firm, with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams particularly influential in keeping his team in the game.
A pivotal moment came in the 51st minute when Ivorian forward Joseph Guede squandered a golden opportunity to break the deadlock, failing to beat the vigilant Williams in a one-on-one situation.
Despite mounting pressure, Young Africans remained resolute, with their defensive line standing firm against waves of Sundowns attacks.
The deadlock persisted until the penalty shootout, where Williams emerged as the hero, saving two crucial spot-kicks to propel Sundowns to victory.
The triumph marks another milestone for Williams, who was named the best goalkeeper in the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire 2023.
With their place secured in the final, Sundowns now await the winner of the clash between ASEC Mimosas and Esperance.
