CAF Champions League
Al-Ahly Through To CAF Champions League Quarter-finals After Away Win Over Medeama –
Egyptian giants Al-Ahly booked their place in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals for an eighth consecutive season after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Ghanaian side Medeama in the fifth round of group stage on Friday.
A second-half goal from winger Hussein El-Shahat was enough to seal the three points for the Cairo club at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, moving them onto nine points at the top of Group A with one game remaining.
The match witnessed several standout moments, with Mostafa Shobeir showcasing his goalkeeping prowess early on, denying Medeama’s attempts to find the back of the net.
However, it was El-Shahat who stole the spotlight in the 48th minute, calmly slotting home a well-executed finish to secure victory for Al-Ahly.
With this crucial victory, the Cairo giants stay at the top of group, securing their passage to the next round with a comfortable four-point lead over Belouizdad and Young Africans, who are set to face off later this weekend.
On the other hand, Medeama languish at the bottom of the table with four points.
Al-Ahly’s focus turns to their upcoming clash against Young Africans, where they aim to cement their position at the top of the group. A draw would suffice for the Egyptian side to ensure they clinch the top spot in the standings.
It was far from plain sailing for the record eight-time African champions however, with the hosts proving stubborn opposition for much of the match.
Al-Ahly dominated the early exchanges and El-Shahat went close in the 13th minute, curling a shot narrowly over the crossbar.
Medeama then had their best chance of the half on 16 minutes, only for Mostafa Shobeir to produce a fine save to deny the Ghanaian striker Lomotey.
The game remained goalless at the break, but Al-Ahly’s pressure finally told three minutes after half-time when El-Shahat latched onto a through ball from Anthony Modeste before slotting calmly beyond Medeama keeper Frank Boateng.
That proved the only goal of a tight contest, as Al-Ahly’s defence stood firm in the face of late pressure from the hosts. Wissam Abu Ali nearly added a second late on but saw his shot well saved by Boateng.
The result means the Cairo side extend their remarkable unbeaten run in the CAF Champions League to 15 matches, a sequence stretching back to their 5-2 defeat at the hands of Sundowns.
Medeama’s defeat means they will struggle to reach the knock-stage of the competition.
El-Shahat’s goal not only propelled Al-Ahly to victory but also marked a personal milestone for the winger, tallying his 16th goal for the club in the CAF Champions League.
With his stellar performance with four goals in the competition this season, El-Shahat solidified his status as a key figure in Al-Ahly’s quest for continental glory.
Nigeria’s sole survivor into the second round of the CAF Champions League, Enugu Rangers have crashed out of the competition. They lost 3-1 to Angola’s Sagrada Esperança this Sunday in Luanda.
The aggregate scoreline is 3-2 as Rangers last weekend won their home game 1-0. Sagrada Esperança opened the game with offensive and got their first goal barely six minutes into the game when Alexandre Fernando found the back of the net.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 33rd minute through Mussa. But four minutes later, Enugu Rangers reduced the tally to 2-1 to carry an away goal advantage into half time.
Jamie Pimpao got the much needed goal for Angola in the 67th minute to seal the hopes of Rangers.
Sagrada Esperança will now go into next month’s draw for the draw of the group stage.
CAF Champions League 2nd Preliminary Round action resumed on Saturday, 14 September following the resumption of the Africa’s premium club competition on Friday.
It was mostly the travelling teams that secured victories away from home on Saturday, who put themselves in fairly comfortable situations ahead of the return leg next week.
Orlando Pirates had a mental obstacle to overcome in Gaborone against Jwaneng Galaxy, having to face the same side that eliminated them in the same phase of the competition last season.
The former champions secured a 2-0 victory in Gaborone to put themselves in a comfortable position ahead of the return leg next weekend.
Five-time champions, TP Mazembe were away to Red Arrows in Zambia where they also put two past their hosts ahead of the return leg in Lubumbashi.
Mamelodi Sundowns, who played their away match in the comfort of their home stadium against Swaziland’s Mbabane Swallows made use of home ground advantage with a comfortable 4-0 win over their neighbours.
Tanzanian champions, Young Africans secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over CBE SA of Rwanda as Tanzanian giants continue to chase a continental title.
It was a rather tough outing for Moroccan outfit, AS FAR when they travelled to Sudan to face Al Merrikh. A highly entertaining encounter concluded with a 2-2 draw, ahead of the return leg in Morocco.
Egyptian side, Pyramids FC also played out to a draw when they were held 1-1 by APR FC in Rwanda.
Burkina Faso side, Association Sportive des Douanes out up an impressive showing when they edged Algeria’s CR Belouizdad by 1-0.
The first leg of the 2nd Preliminary Round concludes on Sunday, with five interesting encounters lined up, including reigning champions Al Ahly kick starting their title defense away from home.
TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Results & Fixtures:
Friday, 13 September
Enugu Rangers 1 – 0 Sagrada Esperanca
Monastir 0 – 1 MC Alger
Saturday, 14 September
CBE SA 0 – 1 Young Africans
Red Arrows 0 – 2 TP Mazembe
Al-Merrikh 2 – 2 AS FAR
Jwaneng Galaxy FC 0 – 2 Orlando Pirates FC
Maniema Union 2 – 1 Petro de Luanda
Djoliba 1 – 0 ASKO
Douanes 1 – 0 CR Belouizdad
Sunday, 15 September
12h00 GMT | Gor Mahia vs Al Ahly
15h00 GMT | Samartex vs Raja CA
16h00 GMT | San Pedro vs Al-Hilal
16h00 GMT | Dekedaha vs ES Tunis
19h00 GMT | Stade d’Abidjan vs Milo FC
The return leg fixtures of the 2nd Preliminary stage will be played between 20 – 22 September.
-CAF
Enugu Rangers’ patchy form in the CAF Champions League continues as they struggled to beat visiting Angola’s Sagrada Esperance 1-0 in the first leg match played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
It was in similar fashion that they played against Union Sportive de Zilimadjou of Comoros Islands who they beat 2-1 over two legs in Uyo.
Rangers’ lone goal was scored by Kazeem Ogunleye in the 80th minute.
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