CAIRO – CAF Champions League title-holders Al-Ahly and Algeria’s CR Belouizdad shared the spoils, but no goals, as the third round of their Champions League tie ended in a drab 0-0 draw at Alexandria’s Borg el-Arab Stadium.
Despite the stalemate, the Egyptian giants remained at the top of Group D with five points from three matches as Medeama and Belouizdad four each and Young Africans two at the halfway stage of the mini-league. Group winners and runners-up qualify for the quarter-finals.
In other Group D tie, Ghana’s Medeama encountered a setback as defender Nurudeen Abdulai suffered an injury during the 1-1 draw against Tanzanian champions, Young Africans.
Young Africans travelled to Ghana to face Medeama in a Group D clash.
Desperate for their first group match win, Young Africans were targeting maximum points to ensure that they move out of the danger zone, having failed to secure a win since the start of the group stage campaign.
However, it was not meant to be for the visitors as they conceded a penalty in the 27th minute which was slotted home by Jonathan Sonwah to give the Ghanaians the lead.
Not to be dejected by the concession, the East Africans continued pressing forward and got the equalizer before the break thanks to a Pacome Zouzoua strike in the 39th minute to level matters.
Coming back from the recess, both teams sent numbers forward in search of the lead but were both met by equally good defenders as the game ended with a 1-1 stalemate.
Pyramids take on Sundowns
Egyptian side Pyramids FC forward, Fagrie Lakay, said that he is looking forward to playing in front of his native South African fans and family when they take on Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday.
The two sides meet in an intriguing north versus south CAF Champions League Group A tie at the Loftus Stadium in Match Day 3 of the group stages where both sides will be aiming for nothing less than a victory in the closely contested group.
Enjoying a rich vein of form of late, which saw him score in the opening group match against TP Mazembe, Lakay said he was looking forward to being back home in one of the most important matches for the club.
“I am happy to be back home to play against one of the best teams in Africa. It definitely won’t be easy playing against them, but we have been working hard. We don’t expect it to be an easy game,” Lakay said according to cafonline.
“We are playing away from home. Playing in front of the people of South Africa, playing in front of my family which is something I am also looking forward to,” said the forward.
The 26-year-old forward is certainly no stranger to the Sundowns defense, having terrorized them with his previous side, SuperSport United who is currently competing in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Pyramids, Sundowns, Mazembe as well as Nouadhibou are all tied on three points after two matches, which sets up an interesting battle for a top finish.
