"CAFCL: Ahly crush Coton Sport in Garoua to keep quarters hopes afloat"

" CAFCL: Ahly crush Coton Sport in Garoua to keep quarters hopes afloat \r\n\r\nMahmoud Kahraba scored a hattrick with Percy Tau adding another as record winners Al Ahly kept their hopes of advancing to the quarter finals of the Champions League alive, with a healthy 4-0 victory away to Cameroon\u2019s Cotonsport in Garoua.\r\n\r\nThe victory took Ahly to seven points, third in Group B and their slim hopes will now be pegged on whether Sudan\u2019s Al Hilal fail to pick victory at home against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.\r\n\r\nA win for Hilal will kill Ahly\u2019s quarter final hopes while either a draw or defeat will keep them firmly in contention heading into the final round of group stage matches after the international break.\r\n\r\nThe Cameroonian side\u2019s campaign has been horrid as they lost their fifth consecutive match, conceding their 14th goal in the process an average of at least two per game.\r\n\r\nThey found themselves trailing after just 23 minutes, when Kahraba scored the first of his three with a simple tap in from a Magdy Afsha low cross from the right.\r\n\r\nSix minutes later, the Ahly number seven had his second of the evening, another simple finish from close range from a tau assist. The Egyptians had recycled play quick from a throw on the left with Mohamed Abdelkader sending Tau through with a defense splitting pass, before the latter slapped low for Kahraba to finish.\r\n\r\nThe visitors went to the break with a deserved two goal cushion.\r\n\r\nIn the second half, they needed just five minutes to make it three for them and three for Kahraba, the latter finishing off an assist from Tau with a one-time shot from just inside the area.\r\n\r\nTau then added a goal to his brace of assists in the 53rd minute to essentially close out the game with a brilliant goal, cutting to his favorite left foot to shoot home from the right.\r\n\r\nThe home side struggled to create any chances, and Ahly keeper Mohamed Elshenawy didn\u2019t have much to do on the night.\r\n\r\nTunisian side Esperance has progressed to the quarter finals after picking a point in a 1-1 draw against Sudanese side AL Merreikh in Libya.\r\n\r\nThe point put Taraji to 10 points on top of Group D, putting up an unassailable lead of five points to third placed Merreikh, whose hopes now hang in the balance with one round left to play.\r\n\r\nPaulo Sergio scored the equalizer for the Sudanese side at the stroke of 90 minutes from the penalty spot, with Esperance reduced to 10 men following Raed Bouchniba\u2019s second yellow card from the foul that led to the penalty.\r\n\r\nThe opening half was conservative from both sides and chances were few and far in between.\r\n\r\nEsperance opened the scoring with their first real chance in the 23rd minute, when Mohammed Ben Hamouda capitalized on a defensive mistake to pick the ball and plant beyond the keeper.\r\n\r\nEsperance had chances to draw level before the break, with Matheuzinho twice coming close but both his attempts were blocked by keeper Moez Ben Cherifia in the 38th and 41st minutes.\r\n\r\nBen Cherifia also made a brilliant save to keep out Brayan Angulo\u2019s well struck shot.\r\n\r\nMerrikh came back in the second half under pressure to get back into the game with their hopes of qualification hanging in the balance.\r\n\r\nThey were finally rewarded at the stroke of 90 minutes when Sergio scored from the penalty spot.\r\n\r\nMerrikh will travel to Cairo to play Zamalek in their last group match, but this might just be for statistic, if CR Belouizdad pick maximum points against the Egyptian White Knights in the late kick off on Saturday.\r\n\r\nTwo late second half goals saw hosts CR Belouizdad beat Egyptian giants Zamalek SC 2-0 to advance to the quarter finals and close out Group D.\r\n\r\nThe victory by the Algerian side in Algiers saw Belouizdad cement their hold on second place with nine points, four behind third placed Zamalek who were held to a 1-1 draw by also qualified Esperance in the early kick off in Libya.\r\n\r\nFor the second consecutive seasons, the White Knights have failed to progress to the quarter finals and they remained bottom of the group with four points. The final round of the group\u2019s matches after the international break will be merely to decide the positions with the top two and bottom two taking on each other.\r\n\r\nThe Algerians travel away to Esperance while Zamalek will be in Cairo against Merrikh.\r\n\r\nZakaria Draoui and Leonel Wamba scored in the 75th and 79th minutes for the home side to cash in the win and assure themselves a place in the last eight.\r\n\r\nDraoui broke the deadlock after 75 minutes with an expertly tucked away curling effort after running on to a cutback from Akram Bouras.\r\n\r\nFour minutes later, Cameroonian forward Wamba scored the second, though unconventionally. A freekick from the left found his run at the backpost and the striker first connected with his chest before a trailing leg swept the ball beyond the keeper.\r\n\r\nBefore that, there were few chances in a tightly contested game. In the opening half, Mohamed Belkhir had a good chance when he rounded the keeper, but his decision to go at goal from a tight angle was awry, the ball curling wide.\r\n\r\nZamalek\u2019s Seifeddine Jaziri also had a good chance 10 minutes to the break when he battled to win the ball between two defenders, but his shot one on one was saved by the keeper Alex Guendouz.\r\n\r\nIn the second half, it was Belouizdad who were hungrier and they were rewarded with the two goals deep into the final quarter of an hour."

"CAFCL: Ahly crush Coton Sport in Garoua to keep quarters hopes afloat"

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