CAF Champions League: Ahly pick win over Raja; WAC beats Belouizdad at home
The quaterfinal round of matches in the CAF Champions League took place on Saturday as eight teams battled it for a place in the semifinals of Africa’s biggest club competition.
Ah Aly, WAC and Peteo Luanda picked up important wins in their respective games as ES Setif and Esperance played a goalless draw.
Al Ahly 2-1 Raja Casablanca
Defending champions Al Ahly put up a spirited performance, beating Raja Club Athletic 2-1 in an end to end first leg match at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo on Saturday night.
First half goals from Amr El Solia and Hussein El Shahaat gave Ahly an early advantage, with Mohamed Zrida halving the deficit for the visitors, but not enough to go the full length. Ahly would have won by a bigger margin, but had Amr El Solia miss a second half penalty.
The Red Devils had a perfect start, going ahead after 12 minutes courtesy of a VAR awarded penalty. Referee Jean Jacques Ndala visited the pitch-side monitor and Mohamed Al Makaazi was adjudged to have handled Ayman Ashraf’s cross.
EL Solia stepped up to score and give the defending champions a vital lead. Seven minutes later they should have been two goals up, but Mohamed Sherif’s header unmarked inside the box from a Percy Tau cross was saved by the keeper.
His blushes were wiped off though in the 23rd minute when EL Shahaat side footed the ball home from inside the box after Tau’s inch perfect cross found his run inside the box.
The home side which had started the game with so much pace almost made it 3-0 in the 35th minute when Ahmed Abdelkader took two of his markers for a dance but his final shot was deflected wide.
Tau also had a chance at goal in the 37th minute but his low shot from the right was saved by keeper Anas Zniti who had been kept busy most of the half.
A few substitutions brought the much needed relief for Raja and they halved the deficit right at the break when Zrida finished off a cutback from Abdelilah Madkour.
After recess, Raja came back pumped up with the goal, but found themselves on the receiving end on the hour mark when Marouane Hadhoudi was sent off for a foul inside the box. However, El Solia missed the eventual penalty.
Despite the reprieve, Raja were handicapped in numbers and Ahly just but managed to see off the result ahead of next weekend’s return tie in Casablanca.
CR Belouizdad 0-1 Wydad Athletic Club
Despite playing more than 83 minutes of the match with a man down, two-time winners Wydad Athletic Club beat home side CR Belouizdad 1-0 in the first leg of their encounter on Saturday.
The Moroccan giants had to finish the match with 10 men after Jalal Daoudi was sent off just seven minutes into the match following a VAR intervention. But Wydad managed the numerical handicap to clinch victory.
Both sides had chances in the opening half, with Mbenza seeing a well-timed header flash just wide while Chouaib Keddad had a rasping shot from distance fly inches over.
In the second half, Wydad had the goal just 19 seconds in when Mbenza rose well inside the box to head home from an Ayoub El Amloud cross from the right.
It was a massive goal for Wydad who had maintained their tactical discipline despite being a man down.
The hosts pushed them to defend deep, but were undone by poor decision making in the final third.
Skipper Chemseddine Nessakh attempted to catch the keeper off his guard with a dipping freekick from the left, striking the ball over while substitute Kheiredine Merzougui had a backpost header deflected wide for a corner.
The two had the best chances at the death, first skipper Nessakh seeing his header flying straight to the keeper’s arms while in the 92nd minute, Merzougui saw his looping header come off the basement of the upright.
Guy Mbenza’s only goal means Wydad got the job done to give them an advantage heading into next weekend’s return tie in Casablanca.
Petro de Luanda 2-1 Mamelodi Sundowns
Petro de Luanda survived what looked like a late equalizer from Mamelodi Sundowns as they held on to beat the South African outfit 2-1 and earn a first leg advantage in their duel in Luanda on Saturday.
Sundowns scored in the fourth minute of added time, Neo Maema curling a brilliant ball into the top left corner. However, the goal was disallowed by VAR, after referee Janny Sikazwe visited the pitch-side monitor to chalk off the goal for a foul in the build up as that was the first time VAR was used in the quarter finals of the Champions League.
Lyle Lakay had given Sundowns the lead in the sixth minute, but skipper Tiago Azulao levelled matters for Petro before Yano scored the equalizer at the stroke of halftime.
Masandawana had a glorious start, Lakay curling a brilliant left footed freekick into the net after Thapelo Morena had been axed at the edge of the area.
But the home side, pushed on by the passionate crowd at the Estádio 11 de Novembro gave in a fight. They levelled the scoring in the 16th minute when Azulao raced into the box to tap home a cross from To Carneiro on the left.
Sundowns almost re-took the lead in the 35th minute but Themba Zwane was denied by the bar after beating the offside trap from a Peter Shalulile pass.
The hard working Petro were rewarded for their resilience in the first minute of added time in the first half when Yano reacted quickest to burry the ball home after Azulao’s backheel effort at goal was pushed away by keeper Dennis Onyango.
In the second half, Sundowns came seeking to get their feet back in the game and they had a chance after 52 minutes but the Petro keeper made a brilliant save to deny Shalulile’s header, with Teboho Mokoena’s effort from the recycled ball curling just wide.
Petro stuck to their shape and defended well, guarding their lead and attacking when they had the chance.
Heading to the return tie next weekend, Petro just need to avoid defeat to hand themselves a place in the semi-finals while Sundowns have to win by a margin of more than two goals.
ES Setif 0-0 Esperance Tunis
At the end of 90 minutes, nothing could separate North African rivals ES Setif and Esperance du Tunis as the two played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League quarter final in Algiers on Friday night.
There were chances on either side, but none of the two was clinical enough as the two take the fight for a place in the semis to Rades next weekend.
A rocking Stade 5 Juillet with fans coming through in their numbers offered Setif a perfect backbone to charge for a win, but they couldn’t make the most of their home advantage with the visitors grabbing a vital draw.
On the balance of chances, Esperance would feel dejected heading to the tunnel for the halftime break level at 0-0. Three crucial saves from Setif keeper Sofiane Khedairia and a freekick striking the bar were the highlights of an eventful half for the visitors.
They had their first opportunity in the 10th minute when Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane was sent through on goal by Kingsley Eduwo, but the midfielder’s shot was saved by the keeper.
Immediately on the other end Setif looked to make a response and they had an opportunity when Ferhani Ouari slid Abdelrahim Deghmoum though on goal but is shot was deflected for a corner.
Eduwo then had a chance for himself in the 28th minute when he somehow found a way through a forest of legs at the edge of the box before storming into the box, but his inner foot shot was well saved one on one with the keeper.
Eight minutes to time, Esperance had another glorious chance off a freekick from range but Ghaylen Chaleli saw his curling effort come off the bar. Rael El Fadaa picked the rebound, but keeper Khedairia made another superb block.
It was a similar case in the second half as the two sides had chances. The best came for Esperance at the death when CHaleli saw his low shot from distance kept out by the impressive keeper.