Three Egyptian football clubs were eliminated from Africa’s top club championships in one frightful Saturday night.
Zamalek were the only Egyptian squad to avoid a similar weekend fate to reach the semi-final.
Ahly’s 3-2 loss to Tunisia’s Esperance in Cairo Stadium in the African Champions League was the biggest shocker among the Egyptian quartet.
Esperance capped a 4-2 aggregate triumph to reach the semi-finals, having claimed a narrow 1-0 advantage in the first leg in Rades.
But it was Ahly who took the early lead in Cairo. Following a goal line clearance by the Esperance defence, in the ninth minute Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” struck a rebound from inside the box to give the hosts the lead and level the tie on aggregate.
Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said weathered the expected pressure, producing a marvelous save from a low scorcher by midfielder Marwan Atteya that was headed for the corner.
It all fell apart for Ahly in the second half as the team showed obvious tiredness. In the 67th minute, Ashraf Bin Sharki’s mistaken pass from midfield led to a quick counterattack and a goal by Danho to level at one apiece.
The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 77th minute following a defensive error inside the area. Mohamed Amine Tougai stepped up, sending Mustafa Shubeir the wrong way to give Esperance a 2-1 lead and put them firmly in control of the tie.
Ahly clawed one back, a header, possibly by newly acquired Marwan Othman but which looked to be an own goal by Hamza Jelassi from a corner in the 84th minute, drawing them level at 2-2 which still would not have been enough to move forward.
Esperance would make it a done deal with their third and winning goal deep into stoppage time, as Jelassi, making amends, rose inside the penalty area to head home, a looping effort from afar that Shubair should have dealt with better.
The final whistle confirmed Esperance’s progression to the semi-finals where they will face Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa which beat Stade Malien in the quarters.
The loss marked Ahly’s failure to reach the semi-finals since 2019 when they suffered a 5-1 aggregate defeat by Sundowns.
It was also Esperance’s first win over Ahly in Egypt in 11 CAF Champions League meetings between the two sides.
This also was Ahly’s first defeat in both legs of a knockout tie since 2014 when they lost 3-2 and 1-0 to Ahly Benghazi in the round of 16.
Following the crippling loss on Saturday, Ahly’s Danish coach Jess Thorup, who is now under immense pressure to resign, said he shouldered the blame.
“I take responsibility for the loss and our exit from the Champions League. This is my role as the team’s coach,” Thorup told reporters after the match.
“I understand the anger and disappointment because losing is not something Ahly is used to. Our objective from the beginning was to win, but we did not achieve that,” he said.
“We lost the game in three minutes after Esperance scored two goals from our mistakes. I apologise to the club for exiting the competition,” he added.
Asked about his future with Ahly after losing in the Egypt Cup and now the Champions League since he arrived in October last year, Thorup said the decision rests with the club. “I am not the one who decides my future. I do my job, and if the club wants me to continue, I respect that. This is a difficult time for Ahly and its fans.”
The day after Ahly’s collapse, the club put out a statement saying action would be taken – but maybe not as soon as their supporters would like.
“We fully understand the sadness and anger of Ahly members and fans due to the team’s results,” the club said in a statement on its official website.
“The football team has received full support in recent periods but has not delivered the anticipated performances domestically and continentally.
“We acknowledge technical and administrative errors. A comprehensive solution is being prepared, but it requires a transitional period and time to be implemented in the best possible way.
“A number of decisions regarding the football sector have already been taken. Some urgent measures will be announced in the coming period, while others will be delayed in the club’s interest to preserve what remains of the current season.”
Meantime, Ahly had company that Saturday, joined by fellow Egyptian side Pyramids FC, who were also eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 3-2 aggregate loss to Morocco’s AS FAR.
Defending champions Pyramids FC were thus knocked out of the Champions League after a 2-1 home defeat.
The Egyptian side battled to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Rabat, which seemed a favourable result, but the Moroccan military club had other ideas.
As cafonline described it, FAR Rabat struck early, extended their advantage after the break, and withstood late pressure from the hosts to secure a famous result that ended Pyramids’ one-year reign as continental champions.
AS FAR drew first blood through Reda Slim in the ninth minute. Mohamed Rabie Hrimat added a second in the 55th minute from a corner. Fiston Mayele pulled one back seven minutes later, but that would be all she wrote.
AS FAR controlled the rest of the way and took revenge for last season’s elimination by the title holders.
AS FAR will now face another Moroccan side, RS Berkane, in the semi-finals.
In the less-fancied Confederation Cup, but still yet another Egyptian ouster, Masri crashed out of the quarter-finals after a stalemate with Belouizdad in Algiers.
The Algerian side progressed on aggregate following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Egypt, with Saturday’s stalemate at the Nelson Mandela Stadium proving enough to secure a historic qualification.
It marks Belouizdad’s first appearance in a continental semi-final since 1996.
Masri, from Port Said, crashed out of the competition at the same stage for the second consecutive season.
In the semi-finals, Belouizdad will play Zamalek, the lone Egyptian savior in an African weekend to forget.
In Sunday’s game in Cairo, Zamalek booked their place in the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup after a tight 2-1 victory over Congo’s Otoho to progress 3-2 on aggregate.
After a 1-1 draw in last week’s first leg, the Egyptian side looked to be cruising after racing into a two-goal lead early on. Their breakthrough came in the 16th minute when defender Hossam Abdel-Maguid rose highest to meet a well-delivered corner from Abdullah Al-Said, to slice a towering header past the goalkeeper.
Just minutes later, the hosts doubled their advantage. Palestinian forward Oday Dabbagh reacted the quickest inside the penalty area after Al-Said’s initial effort was parried, calmly finishing the rebound to give Zamalek a commanding 2-0 lead on the night.
But in the 82nd minute Otoho reignited the contest when Grace Mavungo unleashed a powerful strike out of nowhere from distance that flew past rooted goalkeeper Mohamed Sobi, reducing the deficit by half.
A scuffle ensued as Otoho players tried to strip Sobhi of the ball which they wanted to be centred for the restart as quickly as possible. A VAR review showed that Sobhi had elbowed one Otoho player in the face. He was initially shown a yellow card but then a straight red card following the altercation, leaving the hosts with 10 men, no goalkeeper on the pitch and five subs used.
Forward Seifeddine Jaziri was forced to don the gloves but was not forced into making any saves the rest of the way.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 26 March, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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