Al-Ahly avoids tough group at CAF Champions League

CAIRO – 21 March 2018: The CAF Champions League group stage’s draw held in Cairo on Wednesday put Al-Ahly in an easy group.

The draw put Al-Ahly in Group A alongside Botswana’s Township Rollers F.C., Uganda’s Kampala City and Tunisia’s Espérance.

Al-Ahly qualified to the group stage after eliminating Gabon’s Mounana.

Al-Ahly defeated Mounana 4-0 in the first leg in Cairo. Marwan Mohsen opened the score for Al-Ahly before Walid Azarro’s goal rendered the score 2-0 in the first half.

In the second half, Abdallah El-Said added two goals to secure Al-Ahly’s victory.

Al-Ahly repeated their victory in the second leg in Gabon, winning the game 3-1 thanks to goals by Mido Gaber, Walid Azarro and Walid Soliman.

Al-Ahly will open their games in the group stage against Espérance at home before facing Kampala City in Uganda.

Al-Ahly’s third game will be against Botswana’s Township Rollers at home and then they will play again against Township in Botswana.

Al-Ahly’s last two games in the group stage will be against Espérance in Tunisia and Kampala City at home.

The title holders, Wydad Casablanca, play in Group C alongside South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Mali’s Horoya and Togo’s AS Togo-Port.

2007 Champions League winners Etoile Du Sahel play in Group D alongside Swaziland’s Mbabane Swallows, Angola’s 1º de Agosto and Zambia’s ZESCO United.

2017 CAF Confederation Cup winners TP Mazembe play in Group B alongside Morocco’s Difaâ El Jadidiand two Algerian teams, MC Alger and ES Sétif.