Al Ahly emerged victorious with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Wydad Casablanca in the first leg of the CAF Champions League final, giving them a crucial advantage heading into the second leg in Morocco.
The final saw a rematch of last year's CAF Champions League final, in which Wydad Casablanca claimed a 2-0 victory in a one-legged final held in Morocco.
This year, the traditional format of a two-legged final returned, with Al Ahly hosting the first leg at the Cairo International Stadium, a week prior to the decisive match in Morocco.
The first leg of this highly anticipated encounter unfolded in front of an electrified crowd at the Cairo International Stadium, witnessing Al Ahly's dominance throughout the game.
Right from the start, Al Ahly asserted their superiority, launching relentless attacks and exerting immense pressure on their opponents. Kahraba came close to opening the scoring from close range early on.
Al Ahly were then awarded a penalty for a handball resulting from Ali Maaloul's free-kick, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review.
The Egyptian side had two more penalty appeals as Hussein El-Sahaht was brought down inside the penalty area, but both were dismissed by the Libyan referee Moataz Ibrahim.
While Al Ahly were searching for the breakthrough, Wydad nearly took the lead as Ayman El-Hassouni found himself through on goal, only to be denied by an outstanding save from Mostafa Shobier.
Al Ahly's perseverance paid off deep into first-half stoppage time when Percy Tau headed home Hussein El-Shahat's cross to break the deadlock.
The second half witnessed an improved performance from Wydad, but it was Al Ahly who found the net again in the 59th minute. Kahraba capitalized on a brilliant through ball from Mohamed Hany, with El-Shahat nudging the ball into his path for a clinical volley into the empty net.
In the 69th minute, Yahia Attiyat Allah struck a powerful shot that hit the post, rolled across the goal line, and then rebounded out for a goal kick.
A minute later, Al Ahly players appealed for a red card as Yahia Attiyat Allah deliberately handled the ball to prevent Percy Tau from advancing towards goal. However, the referee surprisingly brandished a yellow card instead.
In the 86th minute, Wydad scored a crucial away goal through Saifeddine Bouhra, taking advantage of a defensive mistake by Ali Maaloul and Mohamed Abdelmonem to make it 2-1.
Al Ahly made attempts to score a third goal before the final whistle, but ultimately the game concluded with a 2-1 victory for the Red Devils, providing them with an advantage ahead of their trip to Casablanca.
