Full time: Ahly 0-2 Wydad
Scorer: Zouhair El Moutaraji 15, 48
The referee blows his final whistle, Morocco's Wydad are crowned African champions with a 2-0 win over Ahly. Thanks for following our live updates!
90+5' A powerful, long-range shot from Afsha goes high over.
90+4' Wydad make another substitution. Hamza Asrir replaces Jalal Daoudi.
90+2' Ahly defender Rami Rabia, who is sitting on the substitutes' bench, is red-carded by the referee!
90' The referee adds four minutes of stoppage time.
90' Wydad make another double substitution. Badie Aouk replaces Ayman El Hassouni and Anas Serrhat replaces Reda Jaadi.
89' Tagnaouti tips over a back-header from one of his teammates!
88' Wydad substitute Haimoud sends an angled shot high over.
87' Tagnaouti's double save prevented Ahly from reviving their hopes in the dying minutes!
84' Ahly make a substitution. Aliou Dieng is replaced for veteran winger Walid Soliman.
83' Wydad make a double substitution. Two-goal hero El Moutaraji makes way for Juvhel Tsoumou and Mbenza makes way for Abdallah Haimoud.
83' Ahly spurn another golden chance!! Tagnaouti rushes out and foils Tau in a one-on-one situation.
82' What a chance for Ahly!! A right-cross causes mayhem in the area and finds Salah Mohsen, who is thwarted by Tagnaouti from close-range.
80' With only ten minutes remaining, Ahly seem unlikely to come from behind, with Wydad still untroubled at the back.
77' A powerful, angled shot from Ahly's left-back Ali Maaloul goes over the crossbar!
77' Ahly are pushing forward but are incapable of creating openings.
74' In a rare Ahly effort, Magdi Afsha sends a swerving shot that Wydad keeper Tagnaouti superbly handles.
71' Ahly make another double substitution. Midfielder Amr El-Sulaya replaces Hamdi Fathi and winger Salah Mohsen replaces right-back Mohamed Hani as Mosimane tries to beef up a toothless attack.
69' A wayward shot from Jaadi goes poorly wide at the other end.
68' A header from Ahly defender Ibrahim goes over the bar after a free kick from Afsha is whipped into the area.
67' Ahly are still short of ideas in the final third!
65' Wydad are comfortably dealing with Ahly's feeble attacking attempts.
63' The referee yellow-cards Ahly's football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz!
60' Ahly are struggling to string any passes together, with Wydad's second goal taking the wind out of their sails.
58' The free kick is blocked by the defensive wall but goes out for a corner.
56' Ahly's Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng receives a yellow card for a reckless challenge on an opponent on the edge of his own area.
53' Ahly are facing an uphill climb as they still look out of sorts tonight.
53' Mbenza's low cross is deflected for a corner as Wydad still have the upper hand.
51' Ahly make a double substitution. Playmaker Magdi Afsha replaces winger Hussein El-Shahat and striker Mohamed Sherif replaces winger Ahmed Abdel-Kader.
48' El Moutaraji scores again to double Wydad's advantage following some slack defending from Mohamed Hani! After a fast-paced counter attack, the lively Jaadi sends in a low cross from the right and El Moutaraji cuts ahead of the poorly-positioned Hani to toe-poke the ball, with El-Shennawi also helping him by poorly pushing it into the forward's path again to fire home on the rebound.
48' Goal for Wydad!
46' Mbenza tries to skip past yasser Ibrahim in the area but he is eventually robbed.
The second half is underway
The referee blows his halftime whistle
45+1' El Moutaraji's long-range free-kick misses the target.
45' The referee adds one minute of stoppage time.
44' Wydad keeper Amine Farhane is booked for a challenge on Ahly keeper El-Shennawi.
43' A mis-timed jump by Ahly's right-back Mohamed Hani allows El Moutaraji to sneak behind him and dribble past Yasser Ibrahim, but his low cross is cleared for a corner.
42' Wydad keeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti palms away an angled free kick thst is floated into the area.
38' Ahly's midfield duo Fathi and Aliou Dieng give away possession far too easily tonight as the team struggle in their build-up play.
35' Taher rises to head an inswinging corner wide!
34' Percy Tau tries to latch onto a through ball but the defence intercepts and it goes out for a corner.
31' A chance for Wydad! Congolese striker Mbenza collects a pass from Jaadi, holds off two challengers in the area but misses the target from a tight angle.
29' Ahly are let down by too many mis-placed passes in midfield!
26' Ahly pile on pressure as Wydad are pegged back.
25' What a chance for Ahly!! Yasser Ibrahim is found unmarked by a corner but his glancing header goes just wide of the post. He is very unlucky!
24' Successive Ahly corners are cleared by the Wydad defence.
22' A chance for Ahly! Taher creates space for himself on the edge of the area but his shot is deflected for a corner.
21' Percy Tau tries to get on the end of another through pass as Ahly slightly improve.
20' The first half-chance for Ahly! Hussein El-Shahat is found by a threaded pass but Achraf Dari makes a timely interception to block his effort.
19' A last-ditch interception from Ahly right-back Mohamed Hani thwarts another chance for Wydad after Jaadi muscles his way into the area and crosses to the far post.
17' The pitch is hardly visible after Wydad's fans light up fireworks!
15' Wydad open the scoring as Zouhair El Moutaraji fires a blistering right-foot shot that goes into the top corner beyond the despairing dive of El-Shennawi. Defensive midfielder Hamdi Fathi gave away possession in front of his own area and El Moutaraji pounced to put the Moroccan side ahead.
15' Goal for Wydad!
15' Anther cross from Jaadi goes straight into the hands of Ahly keeper El-Shennawi.
12' Wydad create the game's first real chance as Ahly are yet to find their feet.
11' Wydad almost go ahead! A powerful shot from burly striker Guy Mbenza strikes the bar from the edge of the area.
10' The first Wydad cross is sent in by Reda Jaadi but central defender Yasser Ibrahim clears it.
9' Both sides move the ball around calmly in a slow opening.
6' Both sides are sending some wayward passes!
4' It's Wydad who are applying high pressure in the first few minutes.
3' Morocco's left-back Yahia Attiyat Allah sends a hopeful shot high over from distance.
2' Will Ahly adopt their trademark high-pressing game tonight? It's tricky, given that Wydad are enjoying a home advantage.
The match is underway
Starting lineups:
Ahly: Mohamed El-Shennawi; Mohamed Hani, Yasser Ibrahim, Ayman Ashraf, Ali Maaloul, Aliou Dieng, Hamdi Fathi, Ahmed Abdel-Kader, Taher Mohamed Taher, Hussein El-Shahat, Percy Tau
Wydad: Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti, Ayoub El Amloud, Achraf Dari, Amine Farhane, Yahia Attiyat Allah, Yahya Jabrane, Jalal Daoudi, Zouhair El Moutaraji, Aymane El Hassouni, Reda Jaadi, Guy Mbenza
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20:00 The line-ups are out! Percy Tau leads an Ahly attack that also features wingers Taher Mohamed Taher, Hussein El-Shahat and Ahmed Abdel-Kader, with two holding midfielders behind them. Mosimane opts to keep playmaker Magdi Afsha and central midfielder Amr El-Sulaya on the bench.
18:30 Should Ahly win, Mosimane will become only the second coach in Africa's history to win four Champions League titles after Portuguese Manuel Jose, Ahly's iconic boss. Mosimane also clinched the title with South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns in 2016.
17:45 After Ahly's problem was resolved, their fans have started entering the stands, placing their giant banners in the northern end.
17:30 Ahly said in a statement that Moroccan organizers had changed the part of the stands where their supporters are scheduled to be seated, prompted a furious response from the Cairo giants, with one official threatening that the team would not play unless the matter is resolved.
16:00 FIFA president Gianni Infantino arrived in Morocco to follow the final saying:
“Africa Champions League is a brilliant tournament. The final will be played between two big teams and a tough competition between Morocco and Egypt,”
15:30 Check some of the best goals ever scored by Ahly in the Champions League finals, published on CAF twitter account ahead of the game.
15:00 Ahly’s Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng promises to please Ahly fans with the CAF Champions League trophy when the Reds face Wydad.
14:00 Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane sent a "warning" to Wydad ahead of the CAF Champions League final.
“It’s our third time in a row to reach the final, so you [Wydad] have to be cautious when you face Ahly and respect their history and capabilities wherever they may be.”
13:00 Ahly would not have a home advantage and were not allowed to play at a neutral venue as the final will take place at Wydad's Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca after CAF said Morocco was the only bidder to stage the game. Given that it's a one-off final, Mosimane might be compelled to make some tweaks.
12:00 Ahly are seeking to become the first team to win a hat-trick of straight Champions League crowns, and in Pitso Mosimane they boast a shrewd coach who masterminded their past two triumphs with panache.
| Venue |
Mohammed V Stadium (Casablanca, Morocco)
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| Referee |
Victor Gomes (South Africa)
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| CAF Champions League titles |
- Ahly: 10 times (1982, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2021)
- Wydad: 2 times (1992 and 2017)
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Check Mosimane's pre-game press conference
Check El-Shennawi's pre-game press conference
Check Tactical view (Ahly v Wydad): Mosimane likely to take cautious approach
Check the match preview here
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