CAF Champions League holders Al Ahly of Egypt are on the verge of qualification for the knockout stages following Saturday's 3-1 victory over hosts Stade d'Abidjan in Group C. Saint-John Koré opened the scoring for Stade with an excellent strike but a hat-trick from Emam Ashour confirmed victory for Ahly who are now two points clear of Orlando Pirates as group leaders.
It was expected to be a challenging match for Ahly who lacked options in the attack but it seemed that the Egyptian champions would strike first. Ashour was played in on goal in the 16th minute but his hard shot was well blocked by Stade goalkeeper Drissa Bamba.
Despite having the better chances, Ahly fell behind in the 26th minute when Koré received the ball outside the penalty area, cut inside from the left wing and unleashed a strong curling shot beyond the reach of Ahly keeper Mohamed El Shenawy.
But after halftime the visitors were more efficient. Striker Wessam Abou Ali set up the equalizer in the 53rd minute by getting on the end of a cross and placing his header towards the far post where Ashour arrived to provide the final touch. Twenty minutes later it was Ashour who provided the decisive header from a perfect cross by right back Khaled Abdelfattah before adding one more late on.
Ahly are now in first place pending the result of Sunday's early match between Orlando Pirates and CR Belouizdad in Johannesburg. Ahly will host Pirates in their final match next Saturday while Stade d'Abidjan, now mathematically eliminated, conclude their participation in Algeria against CR Belouizdad.
Highlights
oup C Table
GP | Points | |
Al Ahly | 5 | 10 |
Orlando Pirates | 4 | 8 |
CR Belouizdad | 4 | 6 |
Stade d'Abidjan | 5 | 1 |
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