African Champions League: First Blood to Esperance in Tense Final First Leg

Esperance secured a slight advantage over Al-Ahly Sunday night in a tense 1-1 draw in the first leg of the African Champions League final in Alexandria, Egypt.  The Borg El Arab played host to a compelling, if nervy, encounter which has put the Tunisians in pole position ahead of the return on November 17.

As Gedo’s goal back in October knocked the Sunshine Stars of Nigeria out and sealed Ahly’s place in the final, many were already forecasting this tie to be a "dream match" of sorts. It’s easy to see why so much excitement surrounded the meeting of this heavyweight duo, as the two are among the continent’s finest sides.

While Ahly are the more successful of the two—being heralded as Africa’s Club of the Century—Esperance have the more recent success, having been responsible, indirectly at least, for eliminating the Red Devils from the two previous competitions.

Esperance, the current holders, earned their place in the final after besting Congolese side TP Mazembe over two legs in the semifinals; the tie had been settled by one single, solitary goal and the final against Ahly promised a similarly tense battle between two teams with very little between them.

A 1-1 draw away in Egypt is an impressive result for Mkachkha, although on the final whistle, many Tunisians contemplated whether they should have been returning to Tunis celebrating a victory rather than a draw. Leading until the 80th minute, it took a late, late equaliser from Hamdy El Sayed, firing low from the edge of the box, to split the points.

Esperance had taken the lead though Walid Hichri soon after halftime, a rare foray forward resulted in a corner, and the Blood and Gold were quick to capitalise, the defender rising highest to head the ball past Sheriff Ekramy.

A regular pattern had emerged before the opener and continued until the match’s end: Ahly had been, by far, the more proactive of the teams, and the visitors had keeper Moaz Ben Cherifia to thank for keeping a multitude of Egyptian attackers at bay. Gedo was a regular menace whilst Mohamed Abou Trika will probably still be wondering how his effort from several yards was kept out by the heroic Tunisian international keeper.

The match was only the second occasion that a viewing public had been granted entry to a football arena since the Port Said Stadium Disaster on February 1. 20, 000 were in attendance at the stadium in Alexandria, and while the Ahly Ultras had threatened to boycott the match, the mood within the Borg El Arab was sombre, with minds very much on the tragedy at Al-Masry.

Black shirts were worn as a show of solidarity and a mark of memory to those who lost their lives. A minute’s silence was observed before kickoff and pictures of the victims, numbering over 79, adorned the stadium.

There will be mixed emotions in the fortnight leading up to the return match in Tunisia. Ahly will be relieved that the equaliser was found in the end, but will grieve that their overall dominance wasn’t rewarded with the home win they deserve. Such profligacy in Tunis will be punished by a buoyed Esperance.

And buoyed they shall be.

With the amount that Ahly threw at them, Esperance should, in truth, have been left behind by their Egyptian counterparts. But the gallant Cherifia was clearly in no mood to finish runner up, and his side will be renewed and galvanised by his display, earning them a valuable draw. Hichri’s away goal may well prove crucial if the teams are once again deadlocked in Tunis, although don’t rule out an Ahly team keen to restore some pride to their nation.

@Eddydove