An early own-goal by Roger Aholou secured a tense 1-0 victory for Egypt's Al Ahly over Tunisia's Esperance in Cairo on Saturday, clinching a record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title.
Al Ahly triumphed 1-0 on aggregate after a goalless first leg, winning back-to-back titles in Africa’s elite club competition for the fourth time.
They became only the third team to win the Champions League with an unbeaten record, boasting nine wins and five draws in their 14 qualifying, group, and knockout matches. This victory capped a successful period for Cairo clubs, as arch-rivals Zamalek won the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup the previous weekend. Al Ahly coach Marcel Koller made one forced change from the first leg, with Karim Fouad replacing Ali Maaloul, who was injured seven minutes into the game in Tunisia.
Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who had not conceded in eight matches since replacing injured captain Mohamed El Shenawy during the group stage, retained his place. Esperance coach Miguel Cardoso, who was seeking the first trophy of his managerial career, opted for an unchanged side.
Goalkeeper Amanallah Memmiche, who had kept 12 clean sheets in 13 previous Champions League matches this season, was forced to retrieve the ball from his net just four minutes into the match. Ahly captain and center-back Ramy Rabia headed a corner goalwards, and the ball deflected off Esperance midfielder Aholou into the corner of the net.
Urged on by a predominantly red-clad sell-out crowd at the 75,000-capacity Cairo International Stadium, Al Ahly pressed relentlessly. Wessam Abou Ali shot narrowly wide, South African Percy Tau hit the side netting, and Memmiche parried a shot to deny Hussein El Shahat. Esperance struggled in the first half, their only notable attempt being a poor free-kick by Yan Sasse, one of two Brazilians in the line-up.
The Tunisian side was fortunate to be just one goal behind at halftime. In the second half, Al Ahly's dominance waned slightly, and they had a close call when a Sasse drive narrowly missed the target. As the match progressed, the anxiety in Al Ahly's camp was evident, with goalkeeper Shobeir receiving a warning from the Congolese referee for time-wasting.
In an effort to secure a decisive second goal, Koller introduced attackers Mohamed 'Afsha' Magdy and Mahmoud Kahraba 12 minutes from time.
Magdy nearly scored two minutes from the end when his free-kick from just outside the area struck the crossbar with Memmiche beaten. Ultimately, Al Ahly's early goal was enough to see them through, earning them a historic 12th CAF Champions League title.
