On Saturday night, the first leg of the CAF Champions League semi-final between Al Ahly and TP Mazembe ended in a 0-0 draw.
Forward Percy Tau of Bafana Bafana made his comeback from an ankle injury, however he started the game on the bench. Tau last played for the Red Devils in the first leg of the quarterfinal matchup against Simba.
After Al Ahly’s league loss to rivals Zamalek on Monday, manager Marcel Koller made five changes: Amr El Soleya, Akram Tawfik, Ahmed Abdelkader, Wessam Abou Ali, and Reda Slim.
Early on, Mazembe dominated the Egyptian powerhouses. On minute eighteen, Likonza Glody had a great opportunity at the back post, but Mostafa Shobeir, the goalie, stopped him from close range.
Likonza had another opportunity shortly after the half-hour mark, but his free header in the area went over the crossbar as the Ravens kept applying extreme pressure to Al Ahly.
The Egyptian powerhouses didn’t take a break as they continued to exert pressure. Just as the half was about to end, TP Mazembe had a great chance when Fily Traoré broke through for a goal, but Shobeir made an incredible stop to keep the score tied.
Eventually, Koller replaced Slim with Tau during the break, and the Bafana attacker’s newfound strength allowed Al Ahly to push high and force mistakes from the Mazembe defense.
After an hour, Lamine N’Diaye’s forces did, however, retake the initiative, despite their inability to exploit any openings in the hazardous terrain.
With fifteen minutes remaining, Oscar Tshikomb had an opportunity from within the box, but Shobeir was unfazed by his effort as the Ravens continued to attack the goal.
Even though the Red Devils came dangerously close to conceding in the last moments, they remained resilient and managed to hold onto their portion of the winnings despite Mazembe’s persistent threats.
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