Full-time: Ahly 6-2 Etoile (7-4 agg.) 90+2 The referee blows the final whistle!! Ahly are through to the final!! 90+1 GOAL! Ihab Msakni finds the net with a shot from outside the area that beats Ekramy at the near post! 82' What a chance!!! Walid Soliman goes through on goal again but thwarted by keeper Mathlouthi!! 75' Keeper Sherif Ekramy pulls off a great save from a Bedoui freekick near the edge of the area!! 73' Defender Mohamed Omar Konate replaces Boughattas.. 70' Msakni strikes high over the bar from inside the area, when it looked easy to score! 68' Veteran striker Emad Meteb replaces Junior Ajayi... 66' Ahly wastes the seventh!! with Zakareya going through on goal but fails to chip over the keeper, before Azaro missed the target from inside the area! 62' GOOOOAAAAALLLL!!!! Rabia scores the sixth with a terrific strike from outside the area!!! 60' Amr Marei comes in for Bruigi.. 57' Ahly forward Walid Soliman goes through on goal between two Etoile defenders before falling down to the ground as the ball hits Nagguez's back and rolls into the net!! 57' GOOOOOAAAAALLL!!!! Ahly five!!! 55' Etoile's Amine Chermiti handed a yellow card despite being a backup as he was warming beside the Ahly goal. 54' Etoile seem to have been encouraged after the goal now, pushing forward in search for the second. 51' Center-back Bedoui heads past keeper Ekramy under the watch of Ahly center-back Samir! 51' GOAL! Etoile score! 50' A great team move by Ahly sees Zakareya set up Azaro again down the right before the latter made no mistake from inside the area for his personal hat-trick! 49' GOOOOAAAAAALLLL!!! Ahly are now four!!! 46' Ihab Msakni replaces Lahmar for Etoile's first substitution of the game. The second half gets underway! The referee blows the half-time whistle! 45+3 Zakareya breaches Etoile's high line but keeper Mathlouthi was quick to come out of goal and gather the ball. 45+2 Ahly could have scored a fourth goal if it wasn't for an unmarked Ajayi strike near the edge of the area that hit an Etoile defender before going out for corner. 44' The first chance for the visitors comes one minute from half-time, with Bruigi's header inside the area saved by keeper Ekramy. 40' This time, Ajayi releases Tunisian full-back Maaloul down the left before the latter played a pin-point cross on Azaro's head - with the Moroccan striker making no mistake!! A goal very quite similar to Ahly's second!! 40' GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!! Azaro scores again!! 38' Bruigi cautioned by the ref for handling the ball. 35' Etoile's Bangoura slices his effort wide... 30' Walid Soliman comes on instead of the injured Gomaa, as the former plays off Azaro in the middle. 29' Right-back Hani handed a yellow card following a foul on an opponent. 28' Lahmar attempts an ambitious shot from outside the area but goes into keeper Ekramy's hands. 27' Saleh Gomaa leaves the pitch out injured. 23' Saleh Gomaa brilliantly released Zakareya down the left, with the latter's pin-point cross finding the unmarked Azaro inside the area to easily head past keeper Mathlouthi!!! 22' GOOOAAAALLL!!!! Azaro scores!!! 19' Both teams currently struggling with one another to dominate the midfield. 13' Game stopped following a foul on Ahly striker Azaro... 10' Moemen Zakareya strikes from outside the keeper during an Ahly counter, but his effort goes straight into the keeper's hands. 5' Saleh Gomaa winning a foul down the left flank. Free-kick for Ahly. 2' Ahly score through a Ali Maaloul free-kick from the left of the area that the Etoile keeper failed to properly deal with!! A great start! 2' GOOOOAAAALLL!!!! Ahly score through Maaloul!!! 1' Etoile looking to retreat in an organized shape, with Ahly bossing possession now. The match gets underway! 18:55 With just five minutes left, both players are in the tunnel now as they get ready to step onto the pitch. 18:45 Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium is packed with the home fans, who are hoping to see Ahly seal qualification for the final tonight. Soccer Football - CAF Champions League - Semi-Final - Al Ahly vs Etoile du Sahel - Borg El Arab Stadium, Borg El Arab, Egypt - October 22, 2017 Al Ahly fans before the match Reuters Etoile starting lineup: A. Mathlouthi, G. Abderrazzak, R. Bedoui, A. Brigui, Z. Boughattas, H. Nagguez, H. Lahmar, A. Trabelsi, M. Ben Amor, Diogo Acosta, Alkhali Bangoura 18:30 Both attack-minded midfielders Hesham Mohamed and Ahmed El-Sheikh have been left out of the squad. 18:25 As expected, Rabia was the one preferred in midfield alongside El-Sulaya. Ahly starting lineup: Sherif Ekramy, Saad Samir, Mohamed Naguib, Ali Maaloul, Mohamed Hani, Rami Rabia, Amr El-Sulaya, Saleh Gomaa, Junior Ajayi, Moemen Zakareya, Walid Azaro 18:00 Given the importance of the game, reports suggest that Ahly manager Hossam El-Badry would prefer the defensive Rabia in midfield. 17:30 Rami Rabia has been deployed in the position against Ragaa in the league, but summer-signing Hesham Mohamed could also be used in the role. 17:00 It remains to be seen whom Ahly will deploy in midfield alongside El-Sulaya. 15:30 "We are ready to beat Ahly in Alexandria exactly like what we did in Tunisia," the French boss said in the pre-match press-conference. "For sure it will be a difficult game since we're facing a big club like Ahly, but we are ready. "We came here to qualify for the final." 15:00 Thousands of Ahly fans have arrived at the stadium amid tight security measures. 14:30 Etoile du Sahel manager Hubert Velud said his side are ready to beat Ahly in Alexandria ahead of both side's clash in the Champions League semi-final return leg at Borg El-Arab Stadium on Sunday. 13:30 The Cairo giants will do without two of the team's pillars – with holding midfielder Hossam Ashour and veteran right-back Ahmed Fathi missing out due to different reasons. 12:00 Ahly will be looking to reach their first CAF Champions League final since last winning the title in 2013 when they host Tunisia's Etoile du Sahel in the competition's semi-final return-leg at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium on Sunday.
Venue: Borg El-Arab Stadium (Alexandria) Referee: Victor Gomes (South Africa) Check the match full preview here (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
