RELIVE: Tunisia's Esperance v Egypt's Ahly (CAF Champions League final, 2nd leg)
Ahram Online, , Friday 9 Nov 2018
Ahram Online provided a live coverage of Friday's match between Tunisia's Esperance and Egypt's Ahly in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final


Full time: Esperance 3-0 Ahly (4-3 on aggregate)



The referee blows his final whistle, Esperance are crowned African champions with a 4-3 aggregate win over Ahly

90+1' The referee adds four minutes of stoppage time, and Esperance continue to waste time.

90' Esperance resort to time-wasting tactics.

88' Ahly need to score to level the aggregate score, but they are still finding it difficult to penetrate Esperance's defence.

86' Anice Badri skips past Hossam Ashour and rifles a superb shot into the top corner from the edge of the area.

86' Goal for Esperance!!

85' The match is littered with too many fouls at either end.

82' Ahly need any spark to unlock a watertight backline in the dying stages.

80' Esperance make their third substitution; Belaili is replaced with Mohamed Meskini.

79' What a chance for Esperance! El-Shennawi pulls off a great save to smother a shot from Belaili following a counter attack.

77' Esperance are defending in numbers.

75' Ahly make their third substitution; winger Ahmed Hamoudi replaces central midfielder Amr El-Sulaya as the team go for an all-out attack.

75' Fifteen minutes remaining for Ahly to score a decisive winner.

71' Ahly keeper El-Shennawi almost losses possession under pressure! The Egyptians must be careful to avoid conceding a third.

69' Another substitution for Esperance, Bilal Mejri replaces Khenissi.

68' A tame cross is handled by Esperance keeperMoez Ben Cherifia.

66' Ahly are trying to push forward but they are still unable to carve out openings.

62' Ahly also make a double first substitution. Ineffective winger Mido Gaber makes way for Karim Walid and Salah Mohsen replaces Mohamed Hani.

61' Esperance make their first substitution. Bguir, their hero tonight, is replaced with Houcine Erbeia.

60' Anice Badri goes close to adding the third for Esperance! His curling shot narrowly misses the target.

57' Recurring defensive lapses are costing Ahly tonight.

56' With Esperance now leading, will they sit back to protect their advantage?

54'Bguir scores again to give Esperance the advantage on the away-goal rule, heading home after a cross from Derbali found him unmarked.

54' Goal for Esperance!!

51' Ahly star Walid Soliman, their only source of creativity, is well shackled by Esperance defence.

47'Khenissi breaks into the area but his mis-hit low shot goes wide.

46' We can expect a tense second half, with Esperance needing only one goal to snatch the title.


The second half is underway

The referee blows his halftime whistle

45+2' Bguir capitalizes on some slack defending to drill the ball into the bottom corner from inside the area.

45+1' Goal for Esperance!Saad Bguir puts them 1-0 up on the stroke of halftime.

45+1 The referee adds two minutes of stoppage time.

45' Amr El-Sulaya clears an Esperance pull-back from the right.

43' Esperance's repeated long balls go straight into the hands of El-Shennawi.

39' Ahly are comfortably dealing with Esperance's tame attempts.

34' Ahly defender Saad Samir heads the ball back to his keeper but it is too short asKhenissi tries to intercept the ball. He theatrically tumbles to the ground without any contact.

34' No Penalty! Only a corner awarded to Esperance.

33' The referee will consult the VAR to see if there is a penalty for Esperance!!

33' Esperance are launching some harmless long balls.

30' Still no real chances in the first half an hour!

27' The first half-chance for Esperance!Khenissi is found unmarked by a floated cross but his header goes high over.

25' Ahly's Walid Soliman and Esperance's Coulibaly receive yellow cards.

24' It's a dull affair so far, but Ahly are executing well their plan to contain Esperance.

20' The referee waves away repeated Esperance claims for fouls on the edge of the area.

18' An angled low shot from Derbali goes wide. Esperance are yet to create any goal-scoring chances.

16' Esperance duo Belaili andKhenissi jink into the area but their effort is blocked by the defence.

14' Esperance gradually push forward.

12' A tame shot fromGhaylene Chaalali goes straight into the hands of Ahly keeper El-Shennawi.

11' Sameh Derbali whips in Esperance's first cross but Mohamed Hani heads it out for a corner.

10' No threats in the first ten minutes but Ahly have the better possession.

6' Ahly move the ball around smoothly in the early stages.

4' Soliman is back onto the pitch.

3' Ahly star Walid Soliman receives treatment after a challenge with a defender.

2' Ahly do not seem like sitting back to protect their first-leg advantage as they push forward from the beginning.


The match is underway




Esperance's starting line-up:Moez Ben Cherifia, Sameh Derbali, Mohamed Ali Yacoubi,Saad Bguir, Ayman Ben Mohamed, Khalil Chemmam, Fousseny Coulibaly, Ghaylene Chaalali, Anice Badri, Taha Yassine Khenissi, Youcef Belaïli


Ahly's starting line-up: Mohamed El-Shennawi, Mohamed Hani, Saad Samir, Salif Coulibaly, Ayman Ashraf, Hossam Ashour, Amr El-Sulaya, Mido Gaber, Islam Mohareb, Walid Soliman, Marwan Mohsen



20:30 Thirty minutes remaining before kick-off, will Ahly return home with a record-extending trophy tonight?

19:45 Ahram Online's Mostafa Ali in Rades, Tunis says the capital was unusually noisy today, with shops and cars playing traditional Esperance songs and young fans waving their flags.

19:40 The stadium is now almost full, with Esperance fans feverishly chanting slogans to support their team.

19:30 Egyptian media outlets publish a photo of Ahly midfielder Hesham Mohamed receiving treatment from a head injury, saying Esperance's supporters hurled stone at the team bus.

18:45 Marwan Mohsen replaces the suspended Walid Azaro's as Ahly's lone striker, while Mohamed Hani takes Ahmed Fathi's place as a right-back.

18:00Esperance will also have to do without two influential players due to automatic suspension -- Chamseddine Dhaouadi and Cameroonian midfielder Franck Kom.

17:00 Zamalek, Ahly's bitter Cairo rivals, said it had set up nine giants screens inside the club's headquarters to broadcast the Champions League final. Zamalek described it as the first time in history that it does so.

16:00 Ahly's manager Patrice Carteron said that he hopes that his side's anticipated game against Esperance de Tunis will "only be a football game," stressing that his side is ready for the final despite the numerous absences.

"We won the first leg in Alexandria and I know that Friday's clash will be very difficult but we are ready for all challenges," Carteron said.

15:00 The 29-year-old Marwan Mohsen is a burly striker who can be dominant in the air and can overpower defenders. He is also an experienced international player who can meet the technical staff's demands during a clash against tough opponent Esperance away from home in Tunisia.

13:30 After the Confederation of African Football (CAF) suspended Ahly's striker Walid Azaron for two games, Ahly coach Patrice Carteron has two alternatives to fill the Moroccan player's place during Friday's showdown against Esperance in the Champions League final.

12:30 Ahly will have to make the most of their continental experience to deal with the expected vibrant atmosphere in Rades, especially given the refereeing controversies that engulfed last week's first-leg at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium.

11:30 A tense build-up overshadows Friday's anticipated clash in the second leg of the African Champions League final but Egypt's Ahly are determined to make it another glorious night in Rades, where they meet Tunisian rivals Esperance.


Venue: Stade olympique de Rades, Tunisia

Referee: Tessema Bamlak Weyesa (Ethiopia)

First leg result: Ahly 3-1 Esperance

Check the match preview here

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

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/316011.aspx