A late free-kick by Mouhcine Iajour gave Moghreb Tetouan a first-leg advantage in the African Champions League following a 1-0 home win over Egyptian giants Ahly, who face the prospect of a last-16 elimination for the second successive year.

The 29-year-old forward arrowed a free-kick past a poorly-positioned wall to spark wild celebrations at the small Saniat Rmel Stadium in Tetouan as Ahly's resistance came to an end one minute into stoppage time.

Ahly, record Champions League winners with eight titles, should overturn the deficit in Cairo in a fortnight to avoid a repeat of last year's reverse when they lost to Libya's Ahly Benghazi at the same stage before going on to win the Confederation Cup, the continent's secondary club competition.

The Red Devils played without a recognized striker in a cagey first-half, with coach Juan Carlos Garrido deploying a five-man midfield to stifle Tetouan's build-up play.

The Spaniard's strategy largely paid off, restricting the hosts to some tame efforts as Ahly pressed their opponents high up the pitch.

Chances were few and far between in the cautious clash, but Ahly came close to breaking the deadlock on 50 minutes when substitute Walid Soliman held off his marker after collecting a neat pass before swiveling but his mis-hit left-foot shot missed the target.

Tetouan had two late chances, with midfielder Ahmed Jahouh firing an angled free-kick just over the bar and Abdeladim Khadrouf going close with a powerful shot from the edge of the area.

The breakthrough came just before the final whistle when a shot from the edge of the area was blocked by the outstretched arms of Ahly's central defender Sherif Hazem and Iajour made no mistake with a beautifully-taken free kick that went past the stranded keeper to give Tetouan a precious win.

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