Al Ahly, the renowned Egyptian club, took a significant step towards the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League with a commanding 3-0 victory over Tunisia’s Esperance.
Percy Tau netted a brace, while Mahmoud Kahraba added the third goal in the highly-anticipated encounter held in Rades.
The triumph in Friday night’s away match firmly places the Egyptian giants on the path to yet another consecutive final. They now only need to avoid defeat in the return fixture in Cairo next weekend to secure their spot.
Having narrowly advanced from the group stages, Al Ahly has transformed into a formidable force during the knockout phases, showcasing their dominance once again in this intense North African derby.
Within just eight minutes, Tau calmed any nerves within the Al Ahly camp by opening the scoring with a well-placed low shot from the right side, benefitting from a pass by Kahraba.
Esperance had an opportunity to level the score in the 13th minute, but Moataz Zaddem’s close-range header was brilliantly pushed onto the crossbar by Mohamed Elshenawy.
Al Ahly had a chance to double their lead in the 26th minute when Kahraba was superbly sent through on goal by Tau. However, he missed the target, failing to capitalize on a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.
In the second half, Esperance started brightly, but their hopes were shattered just 10 minutes after the restart when Tau showcased his brilliance once again. He curled a magnificent shot from the edge of the box, deceiving the defense with multiple feints before finding the perfect angle.
Despite some chances for Esperance, including Mohamed Ben Hamouda’s narrowly missed header and Mohamed Ben Romdhane’s acrobatic attempt saved by Elshenawy, Al Ahly remained resilient.
As the hosts pushed forward in search of an equalizer, they left spaces in their defense and were punished by Al Ahly 15 minutes before full time. Executing a textbook counter-attack, Aliou Dieng released Hussein Elshahat down the left flank, who delivered a precise low cross into the box. Kahraba calmly tapped it in at the back post, securing the third goal.
With a three-goal advantage achieved away from home, Al Ahly successfully completed their task, leaving Esperance unable to mount a comeback.
