CAF Champions League
Blockbuster Quarter-Final Fixtures Lined Up For CAF Champions League & CAF Confederation Cup –
Africa’s premier club competitions, the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup make an exciting return this weekend as the Quarter-Finals of both competitions 2023/24 season officially resume today, Friday, 29 March.
The Champions League marks the start of the knockout stage of both competitions with blockbusters fixtures lined up for both Friday and Saturday.
Tanzania will be the centre of African football attention this weekend as two of their biggest clubs, Simba AC as well as Young Africans FC welcome two gold medallists in reigning champions, Al Ahly SC as well as Mamelodi Sundowns FC.
The defending champions face Simba AC in a 18h00 GMT kick off on Friday while Young Africans play host to the high-flying Mamelodi Sundowns the following evening.
In Lubumbashi, Angola’s Petro de Luanda will have a tough outing when they take on former champions TP Mazembe who are yearning for continental glory since their 2015 feat.
Later in the evening, Ivorian powerhouse, Asec Mimosas takes on Esperance Sportive de Tunis to round up the first leg of the two-legged Quarter-Finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
A Super Sunday is earmarked for the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup as all four Quarter-Finals duels are set to take place.
The afternoon will see Nigeria’s Rivers United taking on the defending champions, USM Alger who go into the clash as firm favourites as title holders but will be wary of the danger posed by the Nigerians at home.
Ghana’s Dreams FC will be away to Mali’s Stade de Malien who last lifted the title in 2009 through a dramatic penalty shootout against Algeria’s ES Setif.
Former champions, RS Berkane are looking at reclaiming the title they lost USMA, as they travel to Libya to take on the unpredictable Abu Salem. This will be an even more special occasion for Libyan football as this marks the return of CAF Inter-Club football to the nation who have had to play their matches away from home.
Headlining the Super Sunday fixtures is of course the Egyptian derby, as 2019 champions, Zamalek will be looking at ending the continental trophy drought when they take on newcomers, Modern Future FC in what promises to be a highly entertaining affair.
CAF Champions League Quarter-Final Fixtures:
Friday, 29 March
18h00 GMT | Simba SC v Al Ahly SC
Saturday, 30 March
13h00 GMT | TP Mazembe v Atletico Petroleos
18h00 GMT | Young Africans v Mamelodi Sundowns
21h00 GMT | Esperance v Asec Mimosas
CAF Confederation Cup Quarter-Finals Fixtures:
Sunday, 31 March | First Leg Fixtures
16h00 GMT | Rivers United FC v USM Alger
17h00 GMT | Stade Malien v Dreams FC
19h00 GMT | Abu Salim SC v RS Berkane
19h00 GMT | Future FC v Zamalek SC
-CAF
Defending champions Al Ahly of Egypt will take on perennial rivals Esperance of Tunisia in this year’s African Champions League final after winning their semi-finals on Friday.
Al Ahly, who have won five of the last seven editions and a record 11 in total, overcame TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Cairo and Esperance pulled off a surprise 1-0 win over South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria.
Al Ahly won 3-0 after a goalless draw in the first leg in Lubumbashi for a comfortable aggregate triumph while Esperance’s 20-year-old defender Raed Bouchniba hammered home a clinical shot in the 57th minute to earn the Tunisians a 1-0 away win and 2-0 aggregate victory.
The match was delayed by 70 minutes after a lightning strike in South Africa’s capital knocked out some of the floodlights amid a heavy thunderstorm.
Sundowns won the new African Football League this season and were one of the favourites for the Champions League but fell short of the final for an eighth season in a row.
Esperance’s 20-year-old goalkeeper Amanallah Memmich produced fine saves as the South African forwards fluffed their lines and the win also ensured a place for Esperance in next year’s Club World Cup in the U.S.
Al Ahly took until the 68th minute to break the deadlock against Mazembe when defender Mohamed Abdel-Moneim scored.
Wessam Abou Ali added a second in the 83rd minute, stretching out his leg to apply a clever finish and Akram Tawfiq confirmed their superiority with a stoppage-time third.
Esperance host the first leg of the final on May 18 with the return in Cairo seven days later.
Esperance won the last of their four Champions League titles in 2019 and have been runners-up four times.
From the original 54 teams from 42 countries that began the race last year, the CAF Champions League has now narrowed to four teams as a whopping 50 have been eliminated.
The four elite clubs in the semi-finals are Al Ahly of Egypt, Esperance Sportive de Tunis of Tunisia, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and TP Mazembe of DR Congo.
Title holders and record champions Al Ahly are still on track to defend their title as they beat Simba SC in Cairo to secure their place while four-time winners Esperance Sportive de Tunis were made to labour hard against Asec Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire.
The reigning African Football League (“AFL”) Champions and 2025/16 winners Mamelodi Sundowns were pushed to the end by Tanzania’s Young Africans in South Africa.
Five-time winners TP Mazembe of DR Congo pulled one of the best performances this weekend with a 2-1 away win over Atletico Petroleos of Luanda after the first leg ended goalless.
The semis will be played on home and away basis on 19-20 April 2024 (first leg) with the Second Leg scheduled for 26-27 April 2024.
In the first semi-final, Al Ahly (Egypt) will play TP Mazembe (DR Congo) in what promises to be a thrilling encounter. Esperance Sportive de Tunis will play Mamelodi Sundowns in the second semi-final.
CAF will announce the dates and kick-off dates in due course.
Egyptian giants Ahly took a significant stride towards securing a spot in the CAF Champions League semifinals following their hard-fought 1-0 win against Tanzania’s Simba on Friday, thanks to an early goal by midfielder Ahmed “Koka” Nabil.
Right from the start, the hosts launched relentless attacks, aiming to find an early breakthrough. However, Ahly’s resolute and well-organized defense thwarted all of their attempts.
Simba’s first notable chance came when midfielder Sadio Kanouté headed a cross from Clatous Chama following a corner, but his effort sailed over the bar from close range.
Just four minutes into the game, Ahly defender Mohamed Hany found himself in possession on the right side of Simba’s field. He cut inside and delivered a cross that was mishandled by the defense, leading to a powerful shot from Koka. The ball ricocheted off the head of the Simba goalkeeper, struck the post, and ultimately found the back of the net.
Despite Simba’s control of the match, as they pushed forward in search of an equalizer, Ahly’s solid defense and the heroics of goalkeeper Mostafa Shobier denied them any scoring opportunities. Ahly relied on swift counterattacks but their attempts to extend their lead fell short.
Shobier produced a magnificent save in the 39th minute, blocking Che Malone’s right-footed shot from the center of the box. He came to the rescue again just before halftime, denying Sadio Kanouté’s right-footed shot from the right side of the box and turning it into a corner.
In injury time, Shobier made another brilliant save, stopping Saïdi Ntibazonkiza’s close-range effort, which rebounded to Shomari Kapombe, who shot the ball high over the bar.
In the second half, Simba continued to dominate proceedings but failed to find the equalizing goal despite their persistent efforts.
Ahly coach Marcel Koller made a tactical double substitution in the 67th minute, introducing Reda Slim for Hussein El-Shahat and Taher Mohamed Taher in place of Percy Tau.
The move injected new energy into Ahly’s attack, with the Moroccan talisman creating two opportunities for the Red Devils.
Koller later made another double substitution, bringing on Kahraba for Modeste and Afsha for Attia.
In injury time, Kahraba had a chance to extend Ahly’s lead when he received a long ball from Afsha, but he struggled to control it. A minute later, Kahraba received a cross from Slim and entered the box, but once again his finishing touch eluded him.
With this narrow victory, Ahly now hold the advantage and move closer to securing a spot in the semifinals, with the second leg taking place in Cairo on Friday.
-Ahram
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