Full time: Esperance 0-1 Ahly
Scorer: Mohamed Sherif 67

Match report


The referee blows his final whistle, Ahly claim a 1-0 first leg advantage. Thanks for following our live updates!

90' The referee adds four minutes of stoppage time.

89' A shot fromBen Romdhane is easily collected by El-Shennawi.

88' Ahly are untroubled in the dying minutes.

84' Ahly make a double substitution. Defender Rami Rabia replaces Ali Maaloul and Congolese striker Walter Bwalya replaces Sherif.

82' A mistake by Derbali almost gifts Ahly a second! His header back to his keeper is nearly intercepted by Mohamed Sherif.

80' Esperance make a double substitution. Nassim Ben Khalifa replacesBenguit and Sameh Derbali replaces Nagguez.

79' Ahly's defence is standing firm in the face of Esperance's attempts.

74' Ahly make their second substitution. Hussein El-Shahat replaces Taher Mohamed Taher.

71' Ahly are in control after taking the lead, moving the ball around smoothly.

67' Mohamed Sherif puts Ahly in front!! He runs onto a through ball from Aliou Dieng to break the offside trap and race clear. His initial effort comes back off the post but he makes no mistake on the rebound to break the deadlock.

67' GOOOOOOOOOAL FOR AHLY!!!

62' Ahly make their first substitution. Playmaker Magdi Afsha, back from injury, replaces Salah Mohsen.

61' A chance for Ahly! Ben Cherifia handles a close-range effort from Mohamed Sherif after a flicked-on corner.

58' Esperance make their first substitution. Ancie Badri replaces lone striker Khalid Abdul-Basit.

58' Tawfik is back on the field, blasting a shot high over from distance.

56' Ahly's right-back Tawfik looks to have sustained an injury. He is stretchered off.

54' Taher Mohamed Taher wastes Ahly's best chance! He pops up unmarked at the far post to receive Akram Tawfik's cross with a first-timer that hits the side netting from a good scoring position.

52' Togui sends in a low cross from the right that El-Shennawi collects. Esperance are gradually finding their rhythm.

49' Esperance midfielder Fousseny Coulibaly heads a free-kick straight into the hands of El-Shennawi.

46' Hamdi Fathi is robbed in front of Ahly's area but Khalid Abdul-Basit fails to pounce, sending a tame shot that is easily saved.

The second half is underway

The referee blows his halftime whistle

45+2' Dieng sends a poor shot wide from distance.

45' The referee adds two minutes of stoppage time.

44' Ben Cherifia pushes away a dangerous-looking Ahly cross.

41' Esperance wingerWilliam Togui bamboozles Ayman Asrhaf inside the area but his subsequent shot is deflected for a corner.

38' Esperance have the better possession as Ahly are pegged back.

34' Ahly keeper El-Shennawi denies a certain Esperance goal!Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane ghosts behind the defence to control a floated ball in the area, cuts inside Badr Benoun and attempts to round El-Shennawi, who sticks out his palm to push the ball away.

33' Ahly's Amr El-Sulaya makes a sliding tackle to intercept a low cross from Hamdi Nagguez.

30' Mohamed Sherif buries home on the rebound after Ben Chrifia palms a shot into his path but the referee disallows it.

30' A goal for Ahly is disallowed for offside! The referee is likely to check a VAR review.

28' Ahly's Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng is robbed in front of his own area and the ball is slipped to Elhouni in the area. However, Akram Tawfik closes him down to clear the danger.

25' Ahly keeper El-Shennawi is warned by the referee for apparently wasting time.

21' Despite playing at their own venue, Esperance look more cautious than Ahly tonight!

17' A chance for Ahly! Ali Maaloul catches Esperance's defenders napping as he plays a quick free kick to the unmarked Mohamed Sherif, whose angled effort is blocked by Ben Cherifia.

15' Esperance are causing menace to Ahly down the flank, exposing gaps behind stand-in right-back Akram Tawfik.

13' The first chance for Esperance! Benguit's superb long ball picks out Elhouni unmarked in the area but the Libyan's low cross is intercepted.

10' Esperance passes in the final third are still inaccurate, leaving Ahly's defence untroubled.

8' Both sides make a slow start to the game.

6' A tame low shot from Ahly is easily collected by Esperance keeperMoez Ben Cherifia.

4' Ahly play with three at the back -- an unfamiliar strategy under Pitso Mosimane.

3' A cross from Libyian wingerHamdou Elhouni is cleared by Ahly's defence.

2' Esperance awarded two quick-fire corners early on.

The match is underway


Starting lineups:

Ahly:Mohamed El Shennawi; Akram Tawfiq, Badr Benoun, Ayman Ashraf, Ali Maaloul, Aliou Dieng, Amr El Sulaya, Hamdi Fathi, Salah Mohsen, Taher Mohamed Taher, Mohamed Sherif

Esperance:Moez Ben Cherifia ; Hamdi Nagguez, Abdelkader Bedrane, Mohamed Ali Yacoubi, Ilyes Chetti, Fousseny Coulibaly, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, Abdelraouf Benguit, Hamdou El-Houni, Khalid Abdul-Basit, William Togui


18:25 CAF decides to delay the kick-off again, pushing it to 19:00 Cairo time (17:00 GMT).

18:00 The match's kick-off is delayed by half an hour, according to beIN Sports.

17:30 Ahly players leave the pitch after police fired teargas on fans in the stands.




🚨| لاعبو الأهلي يغادرون ملعب حمادي العقربي بعد تعرضم للإختناق pic.twitter.com/M0HPsN0FW6
— ‏النادي الأهلي 🏡 (@AlAhly) June 19, 2021



14:50 Four-time winners Esperance have been impressive this season. They topped their Champions League group with 11 points before defeating Algeria's CR Belouizdad in a shootout following a thrilling 2-2 aggregate draw in the quarters.

14:30 "We are an experienced team and we always play to win and make our fans happy. We have a huge responsibility towards our history and our fans. We are soldiers and we are defending Al Ahly badge," he added.

14:00 "Al Ahly against Esperance is a classic Champions League game and we all know the importance of the game, given the history and the ambitions of both clubs and their constant desire to win titles," Ahly's South African coach Pitso Mosimane told the pre-match news conference.

12:40 This year, the reigning champions eliminated Sundowns in the quarters 3-1 on aggregate but they still need to claim the scalp of another traditional rival as they eye a record-extending 10th Champions League crown.

12:15 Esperance inflicted a painful 3-0 defeat on Ahly the last time both sides met at the Hammadi Agrebi venue in 2018 to win the coveted Champions League trophy with a 4-3 aggregate victory.

11:45 Ahly's African Champions League clash away to Esperance on Saturday brings back bitter memories for the Red Devils but they will have a chance for revenge in the semi-final first leg in Rades.


Stay tuned as match is due to start at 18:00 Cairo time (GMT+2)




Venue: Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi

Referee: Victor Gomes (South Africa)



Read the match preview HERE

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.)





https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/414561.aspx