The battle for African glory will kick-off in a crucial stage with the first leg of the CAF Champions league semi-final on Sept. 16 at Borg Al Arab Stadium in Alexandria, Cairo.
Wydad Athletic Club Casablanca of Morocco face Egyptian giants Zamalek. It is crunching time for Wydad as they search for continental glory but they must first deal with their biggest fixture of the season so far.
Winning the champions league will not be the only prestigious achievement, it would send Wydad in search for the world title at the Fifa Club World Cup Japan 2016 as Africa’s representatives.
But Wydad are not new to challenges. The journey to the semi-finals has not been easy for the club. The preliminary round was not much of a task for Wydad, easily overcoming CNaPS Sport of Madagascar in the first round. Prior to that, they surprisingly finished top of difficult Group A, that consisted of Al-Ahly (Egypt), ASEC Mimosas (Côte d’Ivoire) and Zesco United (Zambia).
But in the Round of 16, it was a different situation playing against the formidable defending champions, TP Mazembe of Congo DR. The first leg in Lubumbashi ended in a resilient 1-1 draw but Wydad secured a 2-0 victory in Marrakesh that qualified them for the next round.
“It’s been a long road, because we came through three rounds before reaching the group stage,” young winger Reda Hajhouj told FIFA.com. “Each match was difficult and decisive, particularly the away game against TP Mazembe. Despite the weather conditions and the loud home support, we managed to qualify and continue in this great adventure.”
Wydad has an unmatched record both nationally and internationally, winning 38 titles and a prestigious reputation that has strengthened Moroccan football image as an international force to reckon with.
Into the third fixture of the CAF Champions League against Egypt’s Al-Ahly, Toshack stated that, [perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”The team is in the beginning of the journey, and must keep its solidarity, as well as focusing on one game at a time in order to go very far in this competition.”[/perfectpullquote]
In an attempt to strengthen the team 2015/2016 season also saw changes in the club, making it the youngest team thanks to coach John Benjamin Toshack. The average player-age is 25 as part of a vision to ensure there is a future generation of players capable of leading and preserving the club’s continuity.
22-year-old Hajhouj has been one of this season’s key players for Wydad in their Champions League run. The winger scored twice in the preliminary round, twice in the first round and also contributed to the club’s semi-final advancement with two goals – one in each leg – against last year’s winners, TP Mazembe.
The meeting between the White Nights and the Moroccan giants is clouded with anticipation and match-fever. The match will be well received by lots of football fans around Africa and the Arab World but Wydad now face a huge blow ahead of their semi-final clash against Zamalek.
The club’s squad will not be able to travel with Zuhair Laaroubi to Egypt, according to the club’s spokesperson. The shot-stopper has to deal with military-related issues that prevent Laaroubi from traveling with the team.
Zamalek progressed to the semis from Group B in second position after facing only 2 sides South African Mamelodi Sundowns and Nigerian Champions Enyimba. ES Sétif were disqualified from the competition.
Featured Photo: Wydad Athletic Club Casablanca young winger Reda Hajhouj (FIFA.com)
