CAIRO — Egyptian giants Zamalek will go head-to-head with Dreams FC of Ghana in the semi-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup.
The White Knights defeated Future FC while the Ghanaian side earned their spot after a 3-2 aggregate win over Stade Malien.
In the semi-finals, Zamalek will host Dreams of Ghana on April 21 with the second-leg taking place in Ghana one week later.
The Egyptian derby of the quarter-finals second-leg tie between Zamalek and Future was nothing short of drama and excitement, as Zamalek secured passage to the semi-finals of the competition thanks to a 3-2 aggregate score as a result of a 1-1 stalemate at Cairo International Stadium.
The first-leg saw the former champions coming from behind to snatch a dramatic 2-1 victory over Future away from home to set up what was a closely contested encounter second leg, cafonline.com reported..
Desperate for an early lead to give themselves a fighting chance, Future grabbed the lead in the 13th minute after Jonathan Ngwen did the unthinkable when he found the back of the net from the corner kick to power his side into the lead in the 18th minute.
Future took the lead into the break with the aim of frustrating the opponents and hoping to catch them on the break.
It was however not meant to be for the spirited Future side as the dangerous Ahmed Hamdi levelled matters in the 66th minute with a brilliant strike from the edge of the area with his outside boot to make it 1-1 and give his side the 3-2 aggregate win.
The end result sees Future’s impressive run come to an end, as the White Knights march into the semi-finals where they will face off against tournament debutants Dreams FC over the two-legged fixture to determine who advances to the finals set to be played on May 12 and 19.
Elsewhere, Dreams Club will proudly fly Ghana’s flag in the semi-finals after fending off stiff competition from former champions, Stade Malien of Mali.
Following a 2-1 impressive win away from home in Mali last weekend, the Ghanaians who are in their maiden CAF Inter-Club competition came from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw.
The result sent the Ghanaian club through on a 3-2 aggregate to the next stage of the competition that will see them within touching distance of continental glory.
Coming into the tie at the back of a 2-1 away win, the Ghanaians were very cautious in their approach, allowing the 2009 champions to have more of the ball with the hope of catching them on the break.
The tactic almost backfired as Yoro Diaby capitalised on poor marking from the Ghanaians on a set piece to fire from close range and level the tie just before the hour mark.
The goal served as a wake-up call for the hosts as they sent numbers forward in search of the equalizer, a tactic that was duly rewarded as Sylvester Simba pounced on a loose ball that the keeper failed to handle to fire home from an acute angle to level matters and send the Ghanaians into the semi-finals on a 3-2 aggregate.
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