Ahly 1-0 Esperance
Scorers: Aholou 4'og
Lineups:
Ahly: Mostafa Shobeir - Mohamed Hany, Rami Rabia, Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, Karim Fouad - Akram Tawfik, Marwan Attia (Mohamed Asfha 76), Emam Ashour (Taher Taher 90+2) - Hussein El-Shahat (Yasser Ibrahim 90+2), Percy Tau (Aliou Dieng 47), Wessem Abou Ali (Mahmoud Kahraba 76)
Esperance: Amenallah Memmiche - Mohamed Ben Ali (Raed Bouchneba 46), Mohamed Ben Hmida, Yassine Meriah, Mohamed Amine Tougai - Roger Aholou (Ousama Bougerra 84), Ghaylene Chaaleli, Houssem Teka (Ogbelo 75) - Yan Sasse 9Mohammed Ben Hammouda 84), Rodrigo Rodrigues, Houssam Eddine Ghacha (Andre Bukia 75)
90+5 FULL TIME
90+2 Yellow card for Ben Hemida
90' Ref shows 5 minutes of injury time
87' Afsha's free kick hits the bar !
86' Free kick to Ahly form a dangerous position.
85' Yellow card for Ogbelu !
83' Bukia crosses the ball in the box but Shobeir saves it.
81' A cross from Afsha but the keeper holds it easily.
78' Ashour attempts a powerful shot but the keeper puts it into the corner
75' Ahly make two subs as Kahraba and Afsha are introduced into the game.
72' Esperance are having a better ball possession but they are unable to create any danger so far.
67' Koller introduces Aliou Dieng, who has been out since January, for Percy Tau. An unusual sub.
64' Abou Ali sets up Ashour in the box but Tougai makes a clean tackle to block the ball.
61' WHAT A CHANCE FOR ESPERANCE ! Sasse fires from the edge of the box but it goes next to the post.
57' Ahly are sitting back on defence in this second half as Esperance ara having the upper hand.
56' Corner for Esperance, but the defence heads it clear.
54' Long range shot by Tka but it goes easily into the hands of Shobeir.
50' Corner for Ahly. Tau crosses the ball but Tougai clears it before Abdel-Moneim.
47' Corner for Ahly but the cross is cleared wide.
46' Second half is underway
45+2' Half time
45+2' free kick to Esperance. Ahly's defence heads it clear.
45' Ref shows 2 minutes of injury time.
44' Ashour attempts a long range shot but it goes over the bar.
42' Rodrigo makes a quick run but his low cross is intercepted by Abdel-Moneim.
39' ANOTHER CHANCE for Ahly, EL Shahat intercepts the ball in the box but his poor effort is blocked by the defence.
37' Powerful shot by El Shahat but the keeper punches it into the corner.
34' Free kick to Ahly, El Shahat's cross goes wide.
29' WHAT A CHANCE FOR TAU ! He intercepts the ball on the edge of the area and attempts a curling ball but it goes just over the bar.
27' The cross is cleared by the defence.
26' Abou Ali latches onto a long pass from Ashour but Tougai puts the ball into the corner.
23' Ahly are now very cautious to protect their lead.
20' Yellow card for Aholou after a harsh tackle on Marwan Attia. Ahly players are calling for a red card.
19' Tau attempts a half volley but he blasts it over the bar.
16' Esperance are pushing forward as Ahly are back on defence.
13' Abou Ali has an attempt on target but he hits the side netting.
11' El Shahat leads a counter and tries to find Tau in the area but the ball goes into a goal kick.
8' Tawfik sends another cross but it goes wide.
4' Rabia meets a corner from El Shahat and his header is deflected into the goal to give the Reds an early lead.
4' GOOAAAL FOR AHLY !!!
3' Fouad attempts a cross but the ball is deflected into the corner.
0' Match is underway
19:45 Ramadan performs on the pitch just before the game.
19:00 Koller keeps an unchanged lineup for the return leg. Karim Fouad replaces Ali Maaloul on the left flank.
18:15 Stadium is packed with still two hours ago till kick off.
17:00 Egyptian singer and actor Mohamed Ramadan arrived in the stadium as he is set to perform before the final.
15:30 Ahly fans embarked on their journey to Cairo International Stadium, waving their red flags, to show their support for the team's quest for the 12th CAF Champions League title.
15:00 In Saturday's game, Ahly will be missing the services of veteran defender Ali Maaloul after undergoing a surgery earlier this week for an Achilles tendon injury, but the Reds' coach Marcel Koller said his team is still ready for the challenge.
"We have a capable replacement for Maaloul, and we're confident they'll deliver a strong performance," the Ahly coach said.
"We've prepared for all scenarios and are ready for anything," he added.
14:00 Holders Ahly eye the second successive CL title, meanwhile Tunisian giants Esperance aim for their fifth continental crown, their first since 2019.
13:00 The first leg between both teams ended in a 0-0 draw in Tunisia on 19 May.
12:00 Eyeing a a record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title, Cairo ginats Ahly will be hosting Tunisian rivals Esperance on Saturday night in the return match of the prestigious contitnental tournament final.
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Venue: Cairo International Stadium
Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DR Congo)
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