The video assistant referee (VAR) system worked well in the Al Ahly match against Esperance de Tunis, Al Ahly coach Pitso Moismane said on Saturday night.
Cameroonian referee Sidi Alioum used VAR several times and awarded a penalty and their third goal that was superbly netted by Hussein El-Shahat.
“Using VAR in the games is a very positive thing, as it preserves all the teams’ rights. There are some mistakes that the referees cannot see during the game, just as what happened with Hussien El Shahat’s goal,” said Mosimane after the match.
“The sending-off was the moment that turned the match, but it was deserved, Esperance thought that they would win, but I told the players about this scenario the night before the match.”
He added that his team did not start the match well, but upped their intensity after scoring the second goal and he is happy that they sealed final spot.
“We didn’t start the game very well. We were a little bit nervous and anxious. However, football is not about how you start, but it is about how to finish,” Mosimane told the club website.
“We feel good because we are in the final, but we have to be honest, we expected to be in the final. Not only because we are a big team, but because we played to reach the final. We scored three goals against Mamelodi Sundowns, four against Esperance, and five goals against Wydad last year. We are a big team.
“I respect all those clubs, but Al Ahly is a great team and we deserve to reach the CAF Champions League final.”
However, Esperance coach Moïne Chaâbani has blamed the refereeing decisions for his side’s elimination from the CAF Champions League by Al Ahly.
“We are extremely sad to lose the game, but the red and the penalty kick killed our chances,” Chaabani said after the match as quoted by KingFut.
“The reason we didn’t qualify is the penalty kick and the red card, it’s not the first-leg result or anything else.
“We were better than Al Ahly until the penalty, but we congratulate them and we will be back stronger next year.
“After the red card Al Ahly was better because it’s extremely difficult to play a 10vs11 game for around 60 minutes.”
Al Ahly will now square up against Kaizer Chiefs in the final as they hope to win their 10th CAF Champions League trophy.
