Tau-inspired Al Ahly thrash Esperance

by Staff Reporter

Friday May 12, 2023. 23:12

Al Ahly beat Esperance de Tunis 3-0 in a CAF Champions League semi-final first-leg match at the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi in Tunisia on Friday night.

The Egyptian giants will now play host to the Tunisian football heavyweights in the second-leg match which is set to take place in Cairo on May 19.

The winner of this semi-final tie will take on either South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns or Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca. who are the defending champions, in the two-legged final next month.

It took just eight minutes for Percy Tau to break the deadlock as the South Africa international scored with a hard and low shot to hand Al Ahly the lead with Mahmoud Kahraba providing the assist.

The Blood and Gold responded by pushing forward in numbers and Mootez Zaddem had a chance to level matters in the 13th minute, but his header was well-saved by goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.

Esperance threatened again nine minutes before half-time, but Mohamed Ben Romdhane’s long-range shot was saved by El Shenawy who ensured that the first half ended with Al Ahly leading 1-0.

The Red Eagles didn’t sit back and defend after the restart as they surged forward and they doubled their lead when Tau displayed his sublime finishing ability to make it 2-0 to the visitors in the 55th minute.

The goal rattled the hosts and they conceded again with 15 minutes left when Hussein El Shahat’s low cross was turned home by Kahraba to seal Al Ahly’s 3-0 victory over a hapless Esperance side.

Esperance (0) 0

Al Ahly (1) 3 (Tau 8′, 55′, Kahraba 75′)

Esperance: Debchi, Ben Ali (Machmoum 79′), Tougai, Mariah, Ben Hamida, Arfaoui (Abdi 79′), Bougrine (Badri 46′), Ben Romdhane, Coulibaly, Zaddem (Wahabi 69′), Ben Hamouda.

Al Ahly: El Shenawy, Hany (Abdel Fattah 84′), Abdelmonem, Ibrahim, Maâloul, Fathy (Kendouci 84′), Dieng, Marwan, El Shahat (Taher 76′), Kahraba (Sherif 76′), Tau (Abdel Kader 90’+2).