Ahly of Egypt held Tanzania’s Young Africans to a 1-1 away draw in their fourth game on Saturday, maintaining their hold on the top of Group B of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
Both goals were scored after goalmouth scrambles, leaving Ahly still atop the group with eight points and two games remaining. They are three clear of Young Africans. Morocco’s FAR Rabat also have five points and Algeria’s JS Kabylie are on two points.
At Amani Stadium in Zanzibar, Young Africans struck first in first half injury time as Ahly’s Malian defensive midfielder Aliou Dieng dawdled on the ball a second too long, allowing Hamad Ibrahim to stab in.
Ahly, who had beaten Young Africans 2-0 in the reverse fixture in Alexandria a week earlier, bounced back for the equaliser in the 60th minute. Ahmed Zizo’s corner was picked up by Mahmoud Trezeguet who, with barely any space, managed to find Dieng who redeemed himself with a powerful finish beyond Djigui Diarra.
Young Africans are still positioned in the race for the quarter-finals ahead of back-to-back fixtures against FAR Rabat.
Ahly will next face JS Kabylie in the fifth and penultimate round on Saturday 7 February. Ahly thrashed JS Kabylie 4-1 in November last year at Cairo International Stadium. It was the opening match of the Champions League group stage.
Ahly were playing last week without the services of midfielder Emam Ashour after he missed the team’s flight to Tanzania despite being named to the squad.
The club fined the 27-year-old LE1.5 million and suspended him for two weeks for missing the flight without permission.
Ashour later apologised to the club, saying illness was behind his absence. He said he had been suffering from flu, a high fever and stomach pains.
He said he had informed the club doctor of his health before the trip. However, he acknowledged that he was at fault for not following the correct procedures.
“I made an unintentional mistake as I should have contacted the football director to inform the head coach and ensure the necessary medical steps were taken in such situations,” Ashour said.
But Jess Thorup, Ahly’s Danish head coach, was having none of it.
“The team is the star. The player made a mistake. From my first day here, I said no one is above the team. The player will be punished, and that is enough for now.”
There were reports in the media that the player’s decision to miss the trip came after a dressing room bust-up with teammates over the taking of a penalty in a 3-1 league win over Wadi Degla.
This is Ashour’s second disciplinary sanction that Ahly have slapped him with since he joined the club from rival Zamalek in July 2023.
He was fined LE1 million in November 2024 for misconduct in the dressing room before a Champions League match against Stade d’Abidjan of Cote d’Ivoire.
Ashour’s missed flight created big news for TV talk and sports show hosts and social media followers and stirred open speculation about his future with the club.
Ashour, one of Egypt’s best players, has scored 30 goals and provided 22 assists in 91 appearances for Ahly, helping the club win seven trophies since the 2023-24 season.
This season he has provided three assists in five matches.
He also featured for Egypt at the recent 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, helping the Pharaohs reach the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions Senegal.
Also in the Champions League, defending Egyptians champions Pyramids took a three-point lead in Group A with four games played and two remaining after overhauling RS Berkane 3-0.
At the Air Defence Stadium in Cairo on Sunday, Mahmoud Abdel-Hafiz, or Zalaka, gave the hosts the lead in the 11th minute, creeping from behind Berkane’s defence for an unmarked header.
Following a long run and then a pass by Zalaka, Nasser Maher scored in the 74th minute, his first goal for Pyramids since joining from Zamalek in the January transfer window.
Ahmed Atef added a third six minutes later with a left-footed bullet that found the roof of the net.
Pyramids FC and RS Berkane fought out a goalless draw a week earlier in Morocco.
The win left Pyramids top of the group with 10 points, three points clear of second-placed Berkane.
Also in Group A, in Port Harcourt, Power Dynamos of Zambia got a boost with a 1-0 away win against Rivers United. The Zambians jumped to four points, while Rivers United of Nigeria remain bottom with one.
Pyramids next travel to face Rivers United on Sunday 8 February.
In the less-fancied CAF Confederation Cup, Zamalek edged compatriot Egyptian outfit Masri 2-1 to go top of Group D.
The deadlock was broken in the 21st minute when Zamalek were awarded a clear penalty after defender Baher Al-Mohammadi brought down Chico Banza in the area. International defender Hossam Abdel-Maguid converted from the spot to give Zamalek a 1-0 lead.
In the 34th minute Masri won a penalty of their own after the ball had struck an elbow in the box. Salah Mohsen sent the teams into the dressing rooms level at 1-1.
In the 74th minute, Masri’s goalkeeper Mohamed Hamdi’s ill-timed lunge at the ball allowed Zamalek’s Palestinian acquisition Oday Al-Dabbagh to pounce inside the box to fire home a loose ball into a mostly empty net for the winner.
The win, with four games played and two left, gave Zamalek eight points, one more than Masri.
Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa also have seven points. Zesco United of Zambia remain pointless.
Zamalek and Masri played out a 0-0 draw in their third group stage match earlier last week.
Zamalek will face Zesco United away in the fifth round on Sunday 8 February, while Masri face off against Kaizer Chiefs, also away, the same day.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 5 February, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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