Defending champions Al Ahly of Egypt retained the CAF Champions League title after defeating South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 in the final at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, Morocco, late on Saturday.
The first half saw Al Ahly dominate possession but neither side really created any meaningful chance with the major talking point of the half being the dismissal of Chiefs’ Happy Mashiane four minutes into added time.
Mashiane initially received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Tawfik Akram but then received a straight red card after the referee reviewed the incident after consultation with VAR.
With a man advantage, Al Ahly pressed on in the second half and broke the deadlock eight minutes after the restart when Tawfik’s brilliant through pass found Mohamed Sherif who squeezed a shot past the onrushing Daniel Akpeyi.
Al Ahly made it 2-0 in the 64th minute after a Chiefs’ mix-up in defence saw Al Ahly gain possession and Sherif square the ball to Mohamed ‘Afsha’ Magdy to curl a shot in off the post into the net.
The tie was effectively ended as a contest 10 minutes later when slick passing resulted in Sherif slipping the ball to Amr El Soulia with an exquisite backheel and the midfielder side-footed home to make it 3-0.
The win meant Al Ahly extended their record in the competition to 10 titles, five clear of DR Congo’s TP Mazembe and Egyptian rivals Zamalek who have each won five titles.
It also saw Pitso Mosimane become the first African coach to win the Champions League thrice (twice with Al Ahly and once with Mamelodi Sundowns).
