In the first leg of their CAF Champions League semifinal, Wydad Casablanca and Mamelodi Sundowns played out a goalless draw at Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca on Saturday evening.
The match took a dramatic turn when Mamelodi Sundowns' Neo Maema was shown a red card late in the first half, and substitute Marcelo Allende also received a late dismissal. These dismissals gave Wydad Casablanca the advantage, but the visitors managed to hold on for a draw, setting up an exciting second leg in South Africa next Saturday.
Wydad started the game with early pressure, but Mamelodi Sundowns demonstrated their threat by scoring from their first notable attack. Peter Shalulile found the net in the 10th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside following a VAR review.
VAR had another significant impact on the match when Neo Maema was sent off in the first half for a challenge on Amine Aboulfath. The referee, Daniel Nii Laryea, correctly showed the red card after reviewing the video footage on the sidelines.
Despite their numerical advantage, Wydad struggled to capitalize before halftime. They came close to scoring from a free kick, but Mamelodi Sundowns' goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, made an excellent save to keep the score at 0-0.
In the second half, Wydad introduced an additional attacker, Zouheir El Moutaraji. They had their first clear chance in the 54th minute, but Bouly Sambou volleyed over from a difficult angle.
On the 65th minute, El Moutaraji took advantage of a mistake by Mothobi Mvala and sprinted towards goal, but Williams made an impressive save with his leg to deny the substitute.
Mamelodi Sundowns managed to stifle Wydad's attempts to gain momentum, and the only genuine chance for the home team came in the 87th minute when Hamid Ahadad's header went wide.
In injury time, Marcelo Allende was also shown a red card after a VAR check, further reducing Mamelodi Sundowns to nine players. However, they remained composed in defense and secured the draw.
The teams will meet again in the second leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Tshwane on Saturday, May 20. The aggregate winners will advance to the final to face either Al Ahly or Esperance de Tunis.
