RELIVE: Egypt's Ahly v Morocco's Wydad Casablanca (African Champions League)

Ahram Online , Friday 23 Oct 2020

Ahram Online provided a live coverage of Friday’s match between Egypt’s Ahly and Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca in the 2nd leg of the African Champions League semifinal

Egypt
Egypt's Ahly v Morocco's Wydad Casablanca

Full time: Ahly 3-1 Wydad (5-1 on aggregate) 


The referee blows his final whistle, Ahly reach their third African Champions League final in four years. Thanks for following our live updates!

90+2' Dieng weaves his way into the area but over-hits the final pass as the goal goes out for a goal kick. 

90' The referee adds four minutes of stoppage time.

88' Mahmoud Kahraba goes close with a shot on the turn that narrowly misses the target! 

87' Ahly make a substitution. Magdi Afsha makes way for defensive midfielder Hamdi Fathi.

84' Wydad need to score four more goals to qualify! An almost impossible task, with only six minutes remaining. 

81' Wydad score a consolation! Zouhair El Moutaraji cuts inside from the left to plant a powerful shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

81' Goal for Wydad!

80' Ahly's Walid Soliman receives a yellow card for a foul on Jabrane. 

79' What a chance for Ahly! A brilliant first-time pass from Afsha finds the unmarked Soliman, who turns and shots but his effort misses the target from eight yards out.

78' A rare chance for Wydad! Magbi's low, close-range shot is deflected by a defender for a corner after a defensive lapse. 

75' Ahly make another double substitution. Wingers Walid Soliman and Ahmed El-Sheikh replace Ajayi and El-Shahat. 

73' Wydad's Jabrane is booked for a crude challenge on Aliou Dieng. 

68' The tempo slows now as Ahly ease off a bit. 

63' A one-sided affair could see Ahly secure an even bigger win. 

60' Ahly make a double substitution. Keeper Ali Lotfi replaces Mohamed El-Shennawi and winger Mahmoud Kahraba replaces striker Marwan Mohsen. 

59' Defender Yasser Ibrahim adds the third, heading home a corner after the keeper gets a hand to it. 

59' GOOOOOOOOAL FOR AHLY!!!

57' Wydad make a triple substitution. Zouhair El Moutaraji replaces Badi Aouk, Gbagbo Magbi replaces Abdellatif Nousseir and Hamza Asrir is also introduced. 

54' A chance for Wydad! Kasengu rises unchallenged to head a cross just wide. 

51' Hussein El-Shahat pulls the ball back in the area but Wydad's defence clears the danger. 

48' In a rare Wydad attempt, a shot from Walid El Karti goes just over the crossbar. 

48' Ahly players move the ball around smoothly.

The second half is underway 

The referee blows his halftime whistle 


45+1' Yasser Ibrahim passes the ball back to keeper El-Shennawi, whose return pass is intercepted but he is lucky that the ball goes out for a goal kick. 

45+1' The referee adds three minutes of stoppage time. 

44' A shot by Ajayi is blocked by the Wydad defence. The Moroccans looked to have given up! 

40' Ahly's Malian midfielder Dieng is having a great night! He closes down spaces and significantly contributes to Ahly's build-up play.

37' Ahly are displaying a pretty brand of football under Mosimane! 

34' Wydad keeper Reda Tagnaouti palms away a curling free-kick from Magdi Afsha.

30' Ahly look capable of adding to their advantage as they totally dominate proceedings. 

26' Hussein El-Shahat ends the match as a contest after a brilliant individual effort. The impressive Dieng darts on the left near the halfway line and sends a diagonal pass to El-Shahat, who bamboozles Yahia Attiyat Allah twice before firing home from inside the area. 

26' GOOOOOOOOAL FOR AHLY!!!

24' A chance for Ahly to add the second! The burly Aliou Dieng muscles his way past a couple of challengers and feed playmaker Magdi Afsha, who takes a small touch then blasts a volley that goes just over the bar.

22'  Ismail El Haddad arrows a free kick from 20 yards but it goes over the crossbar. 

20' Wydad have the better possession but Ahly's defence remains steadfast. 

16' Wydad have a penalty appeal turned down by Gomes. 

14' Ahly's defence is comfortably dealing with Wydad's tame efforts. 

11' Another chance for Ahly! A curling effort from Junior Ajayi is saved by the keeper after a fast-paced move. 

9' Wydad now need to score three goals to advance. Ahly have a clear advantage to advance! 

7' Gomes allows the goal to stand after consulting the VAR. Amr El-Sulaya's chipped pass releases Mohsen, who races clear and fires into the bottom corner. There are furious protests from Wydad players after the linesman raised his flag before Mohsen scored.  

7' GOOOOOOOOAL FOR AHLY!!!

5' South African referee Victor Gomes may check a replay! 

4' Ahly striker Marwan Mohsen fires home after breaking clear but his goal is ruled out for offside. 

2' At the other end, El-Sulaya blasts his shot high over following a pull-back from the right.  

1' Wydad create an early chance!! Kazadi Kasengu skips past Yasser Ibrahim on the edge of the area and sends a low shot just wide of the post. 

The match is underway 


Starting line-ups:

Ahly: Mohamed El-Shennawi, Mohamed Hani, Yasser Ibrahim, Ayman Ashraf, Ahmed Fathi, Aliou Dieng, Amr El-Sulaya, Hussein El-Shahat, Junior Ajayi, Magdi Afsha, Marwan Mohsen

Wydad: Reda Tagnaouti, Abdellatif Nousseir, Yahia Attiyat Allah, Brahim Najm Eddine, Cheick Comara, Yahya Jabrane, Walid El Karti, Aymane El Hassouni, Badi Aouk, Ismail El Haddad, Kazadi Kasengu

20:30 Wydad coach Miguel Gamondi starts with Ivorian defender Cheick Comara this time around. Comara started on the bench in the first leg as he had just recovered from injury, with his absence proving costly as Yahya Jabrane, a natural midfielder who was deployed in the centre of defence, committed a dreadful blunder that gifted Ahly an early opener.

20:00 Ahly coach Mosimane makes only one change to the line-up that played the first leg, with Ahmed Fathi replacing the injured Ali Maaloul as a left-back. 

19:00 Should Maaloul miss the game, Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane could field natural right-back Ahmed Fathi on the left. Fathi is known for his defensive solidness.

18:00 There are doubts over the fitness of Ahly's Tunisian left-back Ali Maaloul as he reportedly picked up a minor injury.

16:00 Wydad coach Miguel Gamondi will make many modifications to his squad, especially in the defence, with Ivorian defender Cheick Comara expected to start the game after fully recovering from his injury, according to Moroccan reports.

"We won't throw in the towel and we will fight, and the players must show that they belong to a big club like Wydad," coach Gamondi said after the first leg.

15:30 The Moroccan team will have a mountain to climb in Cairo as they need to overturn their 2-0 first leg defeat at home while the mission will not be easy for Wydad, who appeared technically and physically inferior to their opponent.

 

14:30 The two teams met previously in 9 matches, with Ahly claiming victory three times, Wydad twice, and they drew four times.

13:30 Ahly's coach Pitso Mosimane believes the second leg at home will be difficult because Wydad are capable of repeating what the Red Devils did in Casablanca so he asked the players to put the first leg behind them and focus on Friday's clash to secure their place in the final.

12:30 Ahly's probable lineup for Wydad clash:
(Mohamed El-Shennawi - Mohamed Hani, Yasser Ibrahim, Ayman Ashraf, Ahmed Fathi - Aliou Dieng, Amr El-Sulaya, Mohamed "Afsha" Magdi - Hussein El Shahat, Junior Ajayi, Marwan Mohsen)

11:30 Despite earning a 2-0 first leg advantage in the Champions League semis, Ahly will be looking to avoid any surprises on Friday when they face Moroccan giants Wydad de Casablanca at Cairo stadium.

Venue: Cairo International stadium (Egypt)

Referee: Victor Gomes (South Africa)

Check the match preview here

All times are GMT +2 (Cairo local time)

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)

Short link: