Ten-man Ahly booked their place in the CAF Champions’ League group stage after defeating Burundi’s Aigle Noir 1-0 in the second leg of the round of 32, completing a 2-0 aggregate victory.
Omar Kamal scored the decisive goal in the 59th minute to secure the win for Ahly, who were reduced to 10 men after just 15 minutes when Slovenian forward Nejc Gradisar was shown a red card.
Aliou Dieng came close to opening the scoring in the 33rd minute, heading just wide after meeting a cross from Ahmed Abdel-Kader on the left.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Ahly dominated possession and limited Aigle Noir to few chances throughout the game.
The breakthrough came early in the second half when Tunisian midfielder Mohammad Ali Ben Romdhane threaded a precise pass to Kamal, who fired a low shot into the net from inside the area.
Coach Jess Thorup made several substitutions to refresh the attack, bringing on Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan and Mohamed Hany for Ben Romdhane and Abdel-Kader.
Moroccan winger Achraf Bencharki later replaced Taher Mohammad, while Mohammad Shokry came on for Dieng eight minutes before full time as Thorup shifted to a 4-3-2 formation to preserve the lead.
Aigle Noir pushed forward late in the game but failed to threaten Ahly’s goal.
The draw for the group stages of both the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup for the 2025-26 season will be held on 3 November in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
