Wydad Casablanca of Morocco have been crowned African Champions after beating Egyptian side Al Ahly 1-0 in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final at the Stade Muhammed stadium on Saturday.
After a hard earned 1-1 draw in Alexandria last week, Wydad knew that only a win or a 0-0 draw could guarantee a victory against the red devils.
Al Ahly dominated possession and territory in the goalless first half, with continuous relentless attacks but the Moroccan’s defense was up for the challenge. They sat back, socked in the pressure and attacked on the counter, using the same plan that worked perfectly in the first leg.
With the first half ending 0-0, Smoke cerebrating fans lit up flares all over the pitch and chanted club slogans, creating quite a sight in the near full capacity pitch.
Waydad started moving further forward after settling in the second half using the flanks to increase the pressure and keep Al Ahyl on their toes.
Wydad’s El Karty finally broke the dead-lock in the 69th minute heading home a deflected pass from on form Achraf Bencharki to beat Ahly’s captain and goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy.
Ahly reacted by introducing veteran striker Emad Meteab but Wydad who have conceded a single goal in seven Champions League games at home continuously proved they have the best defense on the continent, by barely giving free scoring Al Ahly a sight at goal.
Casablanca instead came close to getting a second when Asmail Haddad turned the ball goal wards from point blank, but the Egyptian keeper made a fine stop to keep them in contention.
The victory comes 25 years after the side won their first continental trophy in 1992, when they beat Al Hilal of Sudan. They will receive the new $2.5 million prize money and are guaranteed a minimum of another $ 1 million when they take part in the club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates from Dec 6th to 16th.
