Wydad Casablanca completed the semifinal lineup for the Caf Champions League on Saturday after they played out a tense 0-0 draw against CR Belouizdad.
WAC joined Al Ahly, ES Setif and Petro de Luanda in the final four, having won their tie 1-0 on aggregate overall.
Their clash against CRB at Stade Mohamed V may have ended goalless, but was not without drama and aggression between the two teams, with the Algerians also having Toufik Moussaoui sent off late in the game.
Nonetheless, the Red Castle deservedly progressed through to the semis for the fourth consecutive season.
Earlier in the weekend, the first team to earn their place in the final four was Egyptian giants Al Ahly, who claimed a 1-1 draw away to Raja Casablanca in Morocco to progress 3-2 on aggregate on Friday night.
The Green Eagles claimed an early lead through Fabrice Ngoma, but an equaliser just before halftime from Mohamed Abdelmonem turned the tie back in the favour of the Red Devils.
Early Saturday morning then brought an upset, as Algeria’s ES Setif won 1-0 in Tunisia against Esperance de Tunis to take the tie by the same score on aggregate. Abdelmouneme Djabou struck for the Black Eagles, who dumped the Blood and Gold out of the competition in their own back yard.
A clash early on Saturday evening saw another turn up for the books as Petro de Luanda advanced into the final four after holding Mamelodi Sundowns 1-1 at FNB Stadium in Soweto.
The Angolan side won the tie 3-2 on aggregate, successfully coming through a fractious clash (which was disrupted by numerous debatable VAR calls) thanks to Tiago Azulao’s penalty which cancelled out an opener from the Brazilians’ Brian Onyango early in the second half.
The semifinals are scheduled to be played on 6-7 May (first leg) and 13-14 May (second leg), with reigning champions Al Ahly facing ES Setif and Petro de Luanda taking on Wydad Casablanca.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Quarterfinal, second-leg matches
Friday 22 April
Raja Casablanca 1-1 Al Ahly – Al Ahly won 3-2 on aggregate
Saturday 23 April
Esperance de Tunis 0-1 ES Setif – ES Setif won 1-0 on aggregate
Mamelodi Sundowns 1-1 Petro de Luanda – Petro de Luanda won 3-2 on aggregate
Wydad Casablanca 0-0 CR Belouizdad – Wydad won 1-0 on aggregate