Al-Ahly Renews Their Superiority Over Al-Hilal and Reaches CAF Champions League Semi-Finals
Egyptian football will be represented by two teams in the CAF Champions League semi-finals, following the qualification of defending champions Al-Ahly and Pyramids. Al-Ahly repeated their first-leg result with another 1-0 victory over Sudan’s Al-Hilal, while Pyramids advanced despite a 0-2 defeat to Morocco’s FAR Rabat (having won the first leg 4-1). The quarter-final round also saw Tunisia’s Esperance exit the competition after a goalless draw with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, following a 1-0 defeat in the first leg.
Al-Ahly repeated their first-leg performance to continue their campaign toward a record-extending 13th title and a potential third consecutive crown. They will face Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals, while Pyramids will face the winner of today’s match between South Africa’s Orlando Pirates and Algeria’s MC Alger, with the latter holding a 1-0 first-leg lead.
Al-Hilal Dominates but Falls
Just like in the first leg, the Sudanese side controlled most of the game, which was played on artificial turf. However, the only goal went to Al-Ahly when substitute Taher Mohamed Taher led a counterattack and passed the ball to the advancing Emam Ashour, who controlled it and fired a powerful shot past Ivorian goalkeeper Issa Fofana (80’).
This goal secured the defending champions’ place in the final four, alongside fellow Egyptian club Pyramids, who reached the semi-finals for the first time in their history despite a two-goal loss to FAR Rabat. The Moroccan side opened the scoring early through Youssef El Fahli with a brilliant strike from inside the penalty area (8’).
Two minutes before the final whistle, Congolese substitute Joel Beya added a second goal for FAR following a well-organized attack, finishing with a powerful shot (88’).
Swiss coach Marcel Koller, head coach of Al-Ahly, expressed satisfaction with his team’s ongoing progress in their quest to retain the CAF Champions League title.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Koller said: “We are improving steadily and working on correcting our mistakes. Our team is continuing the pursuit to retain the Champions League title.”
He emphasized that qualification was the most important thing for Al-Ahly, especially given the challenges the team faced during the second leg.
Koller discussed the key difficulties his team encountered, including playing on an artificial surface. He noted that Al-Ahly had only trained twice on this type of pitch, while Al-Hilal was used to it, in addition to the strong home crowd support for the Sudanese side.
Koller confirmed that his team did not rely solely on defensive tactics, as they had several chances of their own. He praised the players for taking responsibility and performing their roles well, which ultimately earned them the semi-final ticket.
Defender Rami Rabia expressed his happiness with reaching the semi-finals and thanked the Ahly fans who strongly supported the team at the stadium in Mauritania. He emphasized that the team plays for their fans, who are always their greatest source of strength.
Rabia added that his side faced a strong opponent and that Al-Ahly had tried to increase their lead in the first leg, but Al-Hilal’s strength prevented them from doing so.
Midfielder Marwan Attia said the team, under heavy fixture pressure and a packed schedule, is determined to retain the CAF Champions League title, starting with overcoming what he described as an extremely difficult match, especially since the artificial surface at “Cheikha Ould Boïdiya” Stadium in Mauritania did not help the team deliver their usual fast-paced game.
