Goalkeeper Youssef El Motie carried the hero’s tag of the night, saving two penalties as defending champions Wydad Athletic Club beat Tanzania’s Simba SC 4-3 on post-match penalties to make the semi-final of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League at the Mohamed V Complex in Casablanca.
The visitors, needing the points to keep their own qualification hopes alive, saw their hopes dashed when they fell behind just 24 minutes into the game.
Senegalese striker, Bouly Junior Sambou shot the hosts into the lead to cancel Simba’s first-leg lead in an enthralling tie.
In the second half, Simba kept their defensive shape, allowing Wydad to keep the ball, but they never created much danger, the game being forced to roll into penalties where Wydad managed to score all of their penalties while Shomari Kapombe and Clatous Chama could not convert theirs for Simba.
This is the fourth consecutive time Wydad are in the semis and the seventh time in eight appearances since 2016.
For the semis, the Red Castle will take on the winner between Mamelodi Sundowns and CR Belouizdad who play in Pretoria on Saturday.
