We Are in Champions League Quarter-finals

The Red Eagles marched into the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League as runners-up of Group A after a 1-0 win over Al Hilal of Sudan on Sunday night. 

In front of a passionate crowd at Al Ahly WE Al Salam Stadium, the Red Eagles overcame a tough battle to finish the group stage with a victory. 

Hussein El Shahat’s goal in the second half was enough for us to achieve an important win that secured our place in the next round. 

First Half 
Despite the strong start from the visitors, we looked the more comfortable, controlling the tempo of the game. 

Our defense was well-organized and our wingers were trying to break into the final third with clever movements. 

In the 10th minute, Ali Maaloul with a trademark run sent a perfect cross but the goalkeeper reached the ball before our striker, Mohamed Sherif. One minute later, Sherif passed the ball to Afsha but his effort did not find the target. 

Sherif tried again when he received a beautiful pass from Ahmed Abdelkader and sprinted into the box but the goalkeeper’s reaction was fantastic to catch the ball. 

The attempts continued from the Red Eagles and the visitors stood their ground to survive. 

Four minutes before half-time, the referee did not whistle a clear penalty as Abdelkader was fouled inside the box.  

Second Half 
We started seeing more of what players could do upfront and Sherif missed a clear chance to open the score. 

Mosimane used his bench and Sherif was replaced by Hussein El Shahat. El Shahat went to the right flank and Percy Tau moved to the striker position. 

The Winning Goal 
Abdelkader gave us a beautiful moment to remember. Our talented winger dribbled the Sudanese defender and sent a ground pass to El Shahat who put the ball in the back of the net. 

The remaining minutes were about our players pushing for the second goal to secure the victory. 

There was no change in the score in the last minutes and our players secured an important win.