Al-Ahly of Egypt, last season’s champion, and Esperance of Tunisia qualified for the final of the African Champions League, with the former defeating its host, Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, 3-0, and the latter defeating its host, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, 1-0, on Friday in the second leg of the semi-final.
After Al-Ahly tied without goals in the first leg away from home and Esperance won in its stadium 1-0, the final will be with a pure Arab flavor for the third season in a row, with the Egyptian team seeking to strengthen its record with the twelfth title, while its Tunisian rival hopes for the fifth title from its ninth appearance in the final. .
In Cairo, Al-Ahly decided to compete in the final for the fifth time in a row and the seventeenth in its history thanks to three goals scored in the second half by Mohamed Abdel Moneim (68), the Palestinian Wissam Abu Ali (83), and Akram Tawfiq (90 + 12).
In Pretoria, after a match that was interrupted for nearly an hour due to a thunderstorm, Esperance renewed its superiority over Mamelodi Sundowns thanks to a goal by the young man Raed Bouchniba (57).
With this qualification, Esperance will compete in the 2025 Club World Cup in its new format as the third representative of African football after Al-Ahly and Moroccan Wydad.