Ahly players celebrate after winning the match against JS Kabylie. Photo courtesy of Ahly Facebook page.
The 27-year-old Ashour, who had been sidelined for over two months with hepatitis A, made his first appearance since mid-September, sealing the victory with a goal in plus-90.
Ahly, who lead Group B on goal difference over Tanzanian side Young Africans, opened their campaign with a comprehensive win. Young Africans had earlier defeated Morocco’s FAR Rabat 1-0.
Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan, 32, was the star of the match, scoring twice - once in the 36th minute and again six minutes before regulation.
Striker Mohamed Sherif found the back of the net three minutes after Trezeguet's first score, giving Ahly a comfortable 2-0 lead at the half break.
Ahly dominated possession from the start, creating several scoring opportunities.
Sherif had a goal ruled offside in the 20th minute, and Trezeguet and Zizo missed several scoring chances.
Trezeguet gave Ahly the lead in the 36th minute after nodding in a brilliant header from inside the box following a corner from Zizo, and Sherif found the net with a low strike from inside the area on a cross from Moroccan star Achraf Bencharqi in the 39th minute.
Second half drama
The hosts continued piling pressure on the Algerian side in the second half.
Trezeguet came close to scoring again, but JS Kabylie goalkeeper Mohamed Idir Hadid made a superb save.
Ahly almost went 3-0 up in the 54th minute when Trezeguet’s powerful shot from outside the box was denied by the crossbar.
A being misjudged, allowing JS Kabylie to pull a goal back.
JS Kabylie pulled one back in the 57th minute thanks to a mistake by Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy due to miscommunication with his defender, Yasser Ibrahim, in handling an easy cross from Hamza Mouali.
The Algerian goal gave Ahly fans a scare before Trezeguet's second goal pushed the Red Devils ahead by two goals again.
Ahly coach Jess Thorup made a tactical change in the 64th minute, bringing on Taher Mohamed Taher to replace Sherif, looking to freshen up the attack after conceding.
El-Shenawy was forced to leave the pitch in the 79th minute due to muscle issues, with Mostafa Shobier coming on as a substitute.
Ashour made his return to the pitch in the 80th minute, replacing Zizo, and became a catalyst.
In injury time, Ashour fired a powerful shot from outside the box, but the ball deflected off Taher and fell to Trezeguet, who blasted it into the net for his second goal of the match.
In the final minutes, Thorup made further changes, introducing Mohamed Ben Romdhane and Hamza Abdel-Karim for Marwan Attia and Trezeguet.
Ashour wrapped up the scoring with a stunning strike in injury time, securing a 4-1 victory for Ahly.
Ahly will next face FAR Rabat in the second round of the group stage on Saturday.
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