Amr Gamal, who has struggled for form since recovering from a serious knee injury earlier this year, headed home in the second half as title holders Ahly of Egypt finished on top of Group A in the African Confederation Cup with an easy 1-0 home win over Stade Malien on Saturday.

The 24-year-old striker came on as a second-half substitute and scored the winner with a simple header 15 minutes from time after Ahly had wasted numerous goal-scoring chances in a one-sided affair in Suez.

The already-qualified Red Devils, who are bidding for a second consecutive Confederation Cup title, finished with 13 points from six games, on level with Tunisia's Etoile Sahel who came from behind to beat fellow countrymen Esperance 2-1.

Ahly qualified as the group winners due to a better goal-difference of plus five to Etoile's plus three. Stade Malien finished third with five points, two ahead of bottom side Esperance.

Etoile and Ahly will learn their semi-final opponents when Group B concludes on Sunday, with Egypt's Zamalek, Ahly's Cairo foes, and South Africa's Orlando Pirates facing off to determine who will finish on top after both had ensured their progress to the last four with one match to spare.

Flurry of chances  

Ahly created a flurry of chances in a first-half they dominated but they were let down by some poor finishing.

Their best chance came midway through the half when a pinpoint cross from attacking midfielder Moemen Zakareya was met by a downward header from new striker Malick Evouna that struck the post.

Ahly had a goal disallowed on 30 minutes when the ball appeared to have struck the arm of Zakareya following another cross from the right while playmaker Abdallah El-Saied had a snap shot thwarted by keeper Djigui Diarra.

Emad Meteb, Evouna's partner upfront, was also guilty of spurning an easy chance when he broke clear but Diarra got a hand to his chip on 38 minutes, with defender Oumar Kone blocking Ramadan Sobhi on the follow-up.

Ahly firmly remained in control in the second half but squandered further chances, with Zakareya's cross-cum-shot superbly clawed away by Diarra on 66 minutes and Evouna skewing his effort wide with the goal at his mercy after neatly taking the ball past his challenger.

The breakthrough finally came on 75 minutes when Evouna flicked a free-kick into the path of Gamal who made no mistake with a close-range free header, although television replays suggested he was in an offside position,

The 22-year-old Gabonese, a burly frontman who joined Ahly in the summer, was unlucky not to turn from provider to scorer in the latter stages, with the post denying his powerful shot from a tight angle with seven minutes remaining.

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