Al Ahly and TP Mazembe played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final on Saturday evening.
Percy Tau, the Bafana Bafana forward, returned from his ankle injury but began the game on the bench. He hadn't played since the quarter-final first-leg against Simba.
Al Ahly's manager, Marcel Koller, made five changes to the team after their loss to rivals Zamalek in the league. Players like Amr El Soleya, Akram Tawfik, Ahmed Abdelkader, Wessam Abou Ali, and Reda Slim were brought in.
Mazembe started strong, putting pressure on the Egyptian giants right from the beginning. Likonza Glody had a great chance in the 18th minute but was stopped by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.
The Ravens kept pushing forward, with Likonza missing another opportunity with a header just after the half-hour mark.
Before halftime, TP Mazembe had another close call when Fily Traoré had a clear shot on goal, but Shobeir made an excellent save to keep the score even.
In the second half, Koller brought on Tau, and his energy helped Al Ahly press higher up the field, causing Mazembe's defense to make mistakes.
Despite this, Mazembe regained control after the hour mark, although they struggled to find openings in dangerous areas.
They kept attacking, with Oscar Tshikomb having a chance with a shot in the box, but it didn't trouble Shobeir.
Even in the dying minutes, Mazembe continued to threaten, but Al Ahly's defense held firm, securing a draw.
