Ahli finally won a game in the African Champions League. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab sees what the result did for the club Click to view caption Champions League title holders Ahli, taken for dead after losing their first two matches, lived to play another day after getting by Congo's TP Mazembe. The hard-earned 1-0 at Cairo Stadium on Sunday gave Ahli their first three points in the third round of the African Champions League and pushed them into contention for the first time. With three games remaining, Mazembe and Raja of Morocco head the group with six points each followed by Senegal's Jeanne d'Arc and Ahli, each with three points. Ahli can consider themselves lucky to be still in the running after losing twice. The only explanation is that every team in the group has lost at least once, which has not allowed any one team to break away from the rest of the pack. With 40,000 supporters behind them, Ahli broke Mazembe's two-game winning streak but at times looked they would not do so after missing out on several scoring opportunities. Second-year Angolan striker Avelino smacked the ball wide after chesting it all alone in front of goal, and after rounding the defence, Ahmed Bilal hit the left post. The visitors could have gone ahead after Ahli goalkeeper Essam El-Hadari tipped a deflected shot over the crossbar. A furious melee in front of Ahli's goal a few moments later could have easily given the visitors the lead. But in the 48th minute that privilege went to Ahli. Avelino atoned for his dreadful miskick by weaving by the defence on the right before passing to an open Bilal who had no trouble slotting the ball home. The goal would stand as the game winner but Ahli's offence will have to do much more in the matches ahead, starting with a rematch with Mazembe in two week's time in the Congo. Aside from Ahli's first win in the championship, the club also won back the services of Sayed Abdel- Hafeez following a long layoff due to injury. Abdel-Hafeez made an appearance in the second half and immediately went to work, getting out of several midfield jams to launch speedy counterattacks. In the day's other Group A game, Raja Casablanca carried on their fine form that saw them defeat Ahli 2-1, surprising Jeanne d'Arc with a 2-1 victory in Dakar. In the same tournament, Zamalek, the other Egyptian club which is doing far better, also won, keeping the side on top in Group B. Zamalek had little trouble in disposing of lightweights Costa do Sol 2-0 in Machava Stadium in Mozambique. Zamalek needed to create only a few chances at goal to score their brace and seemed in good shape due largely to the weakness of their opponents more than anything else. The home team started the game with superior ball possession but had trouble moving up front. There were no serious attempts on goal for Costa do Sol, leaving Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed with little to do. Zamalek gained ball possession after about 15 minutes of play and began pressing Costa do Sol into their own half in a bid to garner a quick three points from the group's weakest team. Still, Bernardo squandered two excellent opportunities for Costa do Sol with very poor ball control in the penalty area in the first half, while defender Wa'el El-Qabbani blocked the ball on the other occasion. Zamalek's best player of the game, Walid Abdel- Latif, attempted a few long-range shots in the final 10 minutes of the half, and a brilliant pass saw Abdel-Halim Ali go one-on-one with the keeper who impressively saved. It was not until the 59th minute that Zamalek opened the scoring but the wait was worth it. Abdel-Latif crossed from the left flank to Ali who first-timed a screamer from 20 metres out that gave Antoninho no chance. Abdel-Latif made use of the gaps opening up behind and surprised all, including Antoninho, by firing a shot that went under the goalkeeper's hands, doubling the lead. Zamalek was lucky not to concede a goal after Ibrahim Hassan made a desperate clearance when Tarek El-Sayed inadvertently shot the ball straight to his own keeper. The result gave Zamalek an enviable seven points together with Tunisia's Esperance but the Egyptian squad have the better goal difference. ASEC Abidjan of Ivory Coast are on the verge of failing to qualify for the semi-finals after going down to Esperance 2-0 in Menzah Stadium. Goals from Mouine Shaabany and Khaled Badra in the 53rd and 65th minutes translated the Tunisian domination into victory. Two more Egyptian clubs had mixed fortunes. Mohammed Shawqi provided the only goal for Misri against Adima Madagascar in the quarter-finals of the CAF Cup. Misri had an exhausting 40-hour trip to Madagascar but mustered just enough strength in Antananarivo Stadium to come out with a rare away win. The return leg is to be played on 14 September in Cairo Stadium. Mehalla was the only Egyptian club to lose over the weekend, doing so in grand fashion, stumbling 3-0 to Ashante Kotoko of Ghana in Komasi in the African Cup Winners Cup. The loss gave Mehalla little hope of qualifying to the semi-finals. Their fate will ultimately be determined in Cairo after two weeks in the return leg.
