A goal in stoppage time by Belouizdad gave the Algerian side a much-needed 1-0 victory over Ahly of Egypt, preventing the defending champions from sealing a quarter-final berth in the African Champions League.

Noufel Khacef’s strike in the first minute of stoppage time at the 5 July Stadium in Algiers on Friday night gave Belouizdad the win. Goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Shinnawi parried the initial shot which he should have either held onto or deflected to the side. He did neither. Instead, the ball went straight to Khacef who pounced on the opportunity from close range.

The result revitalised Belouizdad’s chances in Group C which, after four games with two left, looks like this: Orlando Pirates of South Africa have eight points, Ahly seven, Belouizdad six and Stade d’Abidjan of the Ivory Coast one.

The top two teams in the group make it to the quarter-finals.

The loss ended Ahly’s remarkable 27-match unbeaten streak in the competition which included 19 wins and eight draws since their last defeat to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in 2023.

The result also marked Belouizdad’s first-ever win over the Egyptian champions in their six encounters.

And the win made up somewhat for the 6-1 drubbing that Ahly had inflicted on Belouizdad in the first leg.

Following the loss, Ahly’s Swiss head coach Marcel Kohler remained optimistic over his team’s chances of reaching the last eight.

“We can compensate and qualify for the quarter-finals in the next two rounds, whether against Ivorian club Stade d’Abidjan outside Egypt, or against South African club Orlando Pirates in Cairo,” Kohler told a post-match press conference.

“We haven’t lost in the Champions League for a long time; we played a strong match against a team that plays good football and in front of their fans. The match was very competitive,” Kohler added.

Ahly’s fifth round game will be against Stade d’Abidjan on 11 January.

Also in the Champions League, in Group D, Egyptian side Pyramids FC came up with a late winning goal of their own, coming from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over Tunisian side Esperance at the Air Defense Stadium in Cairo on Sunday.

It looked curtains for Pyramids who were trailing up until the 90th minute thanks to a goal from Esperance’s Algerian forward Youcef Belaïli at the near post in the 56th minute.

But Mustafa Fathi leveled the score in the 90th, while forward Ibrahim Adel netted the last-gasp winner with a well-executed side kick.

The win, which avenged a 2-0 loss to Esperance in the first leg, put Pyramids and Esperance at the top of the group with seven points each with two games left. Esperance lead with a better goal difference. Angolan side Sagrada Esperança remained third with five points after defeating bottom side Djoliba of Mali 1-0 on Sunday. Djoliba have two points.

Pyramids will face Sagrada Esperança in Angola on Saturday 11 January.

In the second-tier African football club tournament, the Confederation Cup, in Group D, reigning champions Zamalek of Egypt and Masri, also from Egypt, played to a drab goalless draw in Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadium on Sunday.

The tie kept Zamalek atop the table with eight points, three ahead of Masri. Two matches remain for each.

Nigerian side Enyimba, who thrashed Black Bulls of Mozambique 4-1 on Sunday, advanced to third place with four points, level with the Mozambican side. Both sit at the bottom of the group with a -2 goal difference.

The next fixture will see Zamalek visit Black Bulls on Sunday 12 January. A win will help them secure a berth in the competition’s quarter-finals. Masri will take on Enyimba in Nigeria also on Sunday.

In the first leg in mid-December, Zamalek had secured a narrow 1-0 win over Masri.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 January, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly