CAIRO/LAGOS: Defending champions TP Mazembe and Al Ahly both won at home Sunday but the away goals scored by JS Kabylie and Esperance leave the CAF Champions League semi-finals still wide open.
In Cairo, Ahly were rewarded for their attacking play after 38 minutes when Esperance goalkeeper Wassim Naouara punched a free kick into Mohamed Fadl and the back of the net.
TV replays later showed the ball bounced off the outstretched hand of Fadl.
However, there was nothing wrong with Ahly’s second goal, a well-struck belter from defender Ahmed Fathi on 67 minutes.
Esperance pulled a goal back five minutes later through skipper Oussema Darragi, who smashed home from inside the 18-yard box after Ahly defense failed to clear a free kick.
Six-time champions Ahly created several other chances late on, but they could not convert them to make the return leg match in Tunis in a fortnight delicately balanced.
Ahly’s under-fire coach, Hossam Al-Badri, admitted he was far from satisfied with the result but will not try to defend his team’s slim advantage in Tunisia.
"I’m satisfied with the performance of my players, but I’m not so satisfied with the result. We could have avoided the goal we conceded," said Badri.
"However, we will not defend in Tunisia. We always prefer to attack and we can win away from home."
The match was also marred by scenes of violence in a section of the Cairo International Stadium where Esperance supporters battled with stewards.
Eleven fans have been arrested and will be quizzed by Egyptian police Monday after stadium seats were ripped off and two stadium stewards were beaten up. The supporters also lit flares, which are banned in Egypt.
Mazembe only rescued their home tie with five minutes left on the clock courtesy of late strikes by Ngandu Kasongo and Alain Kaluyituka Dioko.
Kaluyituka opened the scoring after eight minutes before JSK drew level in the 69th minute through substitute Nabil Yalaoui, who fired home from inside the box.
Substitute Kasongo regained the lead for Mazembe five minutes from time with a cracking left-footed strike from the top of the box, before Kaluyituka again hit target in the 88th minute with a near-post header.
However, Mazembe are not likely to relish a trip to Tizi-Ouzou in a fortnight because their last visit there 10 years ago ended in a 5-0 thrashing.
JSK are very experienced campaigners on the continent. They have won this competition twice, in 1981 and 1990, and ‘The Canaries’ won all three home games in the group phase of the competition.
Tunisian fans of Esperance club clash with Egyptian riot police before their team’s African Champions League semi-final football match against Egyptian Al-Ahly club in Cairo on October 3, 2010. (AFP Photo/Khaled Desouki)
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Tunisian Esperance club player Khaled Korbi (R) vies with Mohamed Fadel of Egyptian Al-Ahly club during their African Champions League semi-final football match in Cairo on Oct. 3. (AFP Photo/Khaled Desouki)
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