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Johannesburg (AFP) – Record eight-time title-holders Al Ahly were held 0-0 in Egypt by Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca Saturday, leaving them with little hope of reaching the CAF Champions League semi-finals.
Only the top two finishers in Group A qualify for the semi-finals and Ahly are bottom of the table halfway through the six-round mini-league phase, five points behind second-place Zesco United from Zambia.
Zesco boosted their chances of making the knockout phase of the premier African club football competition with an impressive 3-1 home victory over ASEC Mimosas from the Ivory Coast.
Wydad, coached by former Wales striker and manager John Toshack, top the standings with seven points and two of their remaining three fixtures are at home.
Zesco, seeking to reach the last four for the first time, have six points, ASEC three and pre-competition title favourites Ahly just one.&nbsp;
Ahly coach and former Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol axed error-prone goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy and his promotion of long-time understudy Ahmed Adel was justified by a clean sheet. &nbsp;
But the absence of star attackers Ramadan Sobhy and Gabonese Matick Evouna was sorely felt as Wydad extended a record of not conceding a goal in Africa to three matches.
Teenage midfielder Sobhy is “99 percent certain” to join Stoke City, according to the English Premier League club, with just some formalities outstanding.
Evouna is the latest African footballer wooed to China by huge salaries with Ahly reportedly being paid $8 million (7.25 million euros) by Super League club Tianjin Teda
Jackson Mwanza and John Ching’andu scored within four minutes to give a Zesco side that has exceeded expectations a 2-0 half-time lead. &nbsp;
Youssouf Dao halved the deficit 13 minutes from time only for Democratic RepubIic of Congo-born Idris Mbombo to restore the two-goal advantage almost immediately.
In the only Group B fixture, Zamalek of Egypt host Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa Sunday.

Ahly staring at CAF Champions League elimination after home draw

Ahly staring at CAF Champions League elimination after home draw - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_166256" style="width: 778px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Al-Ahly.jpg"><div><figure class="image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-166256" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-166256" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/2016/03/Al-Ahly-768x521.webp" alt="Photo credit: AFP" width="768" height="521" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px"></figure></div></a>Photo credit: AFP</div>
Former English Premier League managers Martin Jol and Alex McLeish should complete successful introductions to African football this weekend with Egyptian clubs Al Ahly and Zamalek.
Jol-coached Ahly host Recreativo Libolo of Angola in Mediterranean city Alexandria after missing many scoring chances in a goalless first leg.
McLeish-managed Zamalek are even better placed to progress as they have home advantage in Cairo and a 1-0 lead over Union Douala of Cameroon.
These CAF Champions League second legs are among 16 scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the last-32 stage of the premier African club competition.
Jol is a 60-year-old Dutchman who managed Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in the Premier League, then took a two-year break from football before joining Ahly.
He wants an early goal at the 90,000-capacity Borg El Arab Stadium to settle nerves and restore confidence among the Red Devils after they missed a string of first-leg chances.
“We must score early to take control of the match,” Jol told the Egyptian media. “More missed chances will be unacceptable.
“I was satisfied with the performances of the players in Angola, but not with the wasteful finishing.”
Veteran striker Emad Meteb, the sole link with the Ahly teams that won three Champions League titles between 2005 and 2008, is fit to play after missing the trip to Angola.
Another first-leg absentee, goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy, faces a fitness test while a leg injury rules out midfielder Saleh Gomaa.
Former Birmingham City and Aston Villa manager McLeish has warned his team to act “responsibly” in a clash of former African champions against Douala.
“I will not accept any irresponsibility at home,” the 57-year-old Scot warned his squad. “I hope the team can put together a good performance like they did in Cameroon.”
Nigerian midfielder Maarouf Yussuf has recovered from a first-leg injury while Douala absentee Mahmoud ‘Kahraba’ Abdel Moneim is expected to be available.
Record eight-time title-holders Ahly and five-time winners Zamalek are among 11 Champions League hopefuls this year who have lifted the trophy.
Enyimba of Nigeria and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco appear certain to progress having built 5-1 home leads over Vital’O of Burundi and CNaPS of Madagascar respectively.
ASEC of Ivory Coast, who host Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa with a 1-0 lead, are also well positioned to advance, as are Etoile Sahel of Tunisia after holding Olympique Khouribga 1-1 in Morocco.
It would be a shock if defending champions TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo and 2014 title-holders Entente Setif of Algeria did not qualify having forced away draws last weekend.
A multi-national Mazembe outfit that has changed French coaches, with Hubert Velud replacing out-of-contract Patrice Carteron, held Saint George 2-2 in Ethiopia.
Setif left Congo Brazzaville with a 1-1 draw against Etoile, a result that confirmed the Black Eagles as favourites to be involved in the round-of-16 during April.
Former champions in potential trouble are Club Africain of Tunisia and V Club of DR Congo, who managed only 1-0 first-leg victories.
Africain face Champions League debutants Mouloudia Bejaia of Algeria in an intriguing North African showdown.
V Club meet Ferroviario Maputo of Mozambique in an unexpectedly early challenge for impressive Congolese coach Florent Ibenge.
The medal collection of the 54-year-old includes a 2016 African Nations Championship gold, a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations bronze and a 2014 Champions League silver.

Home wins loom for Martin Jol and Alex McLeish in African soccer

Home wins loom for Martin Jol and Alex McLeish in African soccer - World Soccer Talk

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