Al Ahly, Egypt’s football powerhouse, triumphed once more in African club football, securing their 12th CAF Champions League title with a 1-0 victory over Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis. The final match took place at a sold-out Cairo International Stadium on Saturday evening.
This victory marks the fourth consecutive CAF Champions League title for Al Ahly, solidifying their dominance in African club football. The win also extended their unbeaten streak in the competition to 20 matches.
After a goalless draw in Rades the previous week, Ahly’s players entered the home leg with a slight edge. The vocal support from their fans at Cairo International Stadium bolstered the team’s confidence against the four-time African champions, Esperance, who have been seeking their fifth title since 2019.
The match’s only goal was an unfortunate own goal by Esperance’s Roger Aholou. In the 4th minute, a header from Ramy Moustafa deflected off Aholou’s leg, slipping past young goalkeeper Amenallah Memmiche.
Esperance had a significant opportunity in the 52nd minute when a low shot from TKA narrowly missed Mostafa Shobeir’s goal.
Esperance nearly equalized after the hour mark with a brilliant curving shot from Yan Sasse, following an impressive build-up involving Brazilian duo Sasse and Rodrigo Silva. However, the shot went just wide of the target.
The Egyptian club came close to doubling their lead when Emam Ashour dribbled past two defenders and unleashed a powerful strike, which the Esperance keeper managed to parry away. Later, the experienced Afsha almost made it 2-0 in the 87th minute with a free kick that struck the crossbar.
The match concluded 1-0, with Al Ahly once again crowned as the champions of Africa.
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Al Ahly claim a 12th CAF Champions League title
