Hamdy Fathy scored to clinch a 2-0 win for Al Ahly of Egypt over Raja Casablanca of Morocco on Saturday in the major attraction of the Caf Champions League quarterfinals first legs.
In other matches, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and Esperance of Tunisia won in Algeria while reigning champions Wydad Casablanca of Morocco lost in Tanzania.
Fathy came off the bench in Cairo to double the lead for record 10-time African champions Ahly with a powerful close-range shot on 84 minutes after being set up by South African Percy Tau.
Ahly, who eliminated three-time champions Raja at the same stage last season, went ahead in first half added time when Mohamed Abdelmonem headed powerfully past Raja goalkeeper Anas Zniti.
The clash of the African club titans was watched by a sell-out 52 000 crowd, most of which was dressed in the red of Ahly, who have reached five of the last six finals, but won only two.
Advantage Al Ahly in their #TotalEnergiesCAFCL quarter-final as they takedown Raja at home.
— SuperSport Football ?? (@SSFootball) April 22, 2023
Sundowns shrugged off a domestic slump and Namibian Peter Shalulile ended a goal drought as Sundowns triumphed 4-1 over Chabab Belouizdad in Algiers.
Shalulile scored the opening goal after six minutes and set up Neo Maema for the second before Miloud Rebiai halved the deficit just before halftime.
Early and late second-half goals from Shalulile, who had not scored since mid-March, and Cassius Mailula virtually assured the visitors of a semifinals date with Wydad or Simba of Tanzania.
Sundowns travelled to North Africa after drawing three consecutive national league matches and losing a South African FA Cup quarterfinal.
Wydad will not panic despite losing 1-0 to Simba in Dar es Salaam with Congolese Jean Baleke scoring the 31st-minute match-winner.
SIMBA EDGE WYDAD
On the two previous occasions they lost away this season – to Rivers United of Nigeria in a qualifier and to JS Kabylie of Algeria in group A – they decisively turned the tables at home.
Wydad, seeking back-to-back Champions League titles for the first time, trounced Rivers 6-0 and Kabylie 3-0 in their intimidating Stade Mohammed V fortress.
Simba, after conceding six goals when losing home and away in group C to Raja, the great Casablanca rivals of Wydad, will draw encouragement ahead of the return match on Friday.
Coached by Spaniard Juan Carlos Garrido, Wydad were not at their best and Simba should have won by a wider margin given the numerous scoring chances they created.
Four-time champions Esperance look set for the semifinals after winning 1-0 away to Kabylie in Algiers on Friday through a 54th-minute goal from Mohamed Ali Ben Hammouda.
The result means the Tunis outfit need only draw the return match at home next Saturday to book a last-four showdown with Ahly or Raja during May.
Kabylie, who have been African champions twice, had far less possession in the opening half, but came closest to scoring when Moez Ben Cherifia parried a Reda Boumechra snapshot to safety.
The lone goal stemmed from a throw-in with slow-reacting Kabylie defenders allowing Ben Hammouda to race through and beat Mohamed Hadid with a curled shot into the far corner of the net.
Ben Hammouda and Baleke have scored four goals each in the Champions League this season – three fewer than chart-topper Jason Mayele from already-eliminated Young Africans of Tanzania.