Qualifying round Wydad reached the group stage by the skin of teeth, needing a penalty shootout to overcome stubborn opponents CF Mounana of Gabon. A late William Jebor goal gave the Moroccans a 1-0 first leg win at home but Mounana levelled the aggregate score with another 1-0 victory at home, with Hamidou Sinayoko netting the only goal in stoppage time. Wydad prevailed 5-4 on penalties, with Mounana's Cedric Biyoghe being the only player to waste his spot-kick. Group stage Wyad opened their group stage campaign in convincing fashion, beating Cameroon's Coton Sport 2-0 at home, thanks to goals from Jebor and Amine Atouchi either side of the interval. But Zambia's Zanaco, who challenged Ahly and Wydad all the way, stunned the Moroccans with a 1-0 win in the second group match, with Ernest Mbewe netting the only goal after 13 minutes. Wydad slumped to a second consecutive defeat when they lost 2-0 to Ahly in Cairo but they rallied back with a home win over Ahly with the same scoreline. Congo's Fabrice Ondama, who left in the summer to join Tunisia's Club Africain, put them ahead early in the second half and Walid El Karti wrapped up the win with 13 minutes remaining. Wydad then bagged maximum six points from their remaining two matches, defeating Coton Sport 2-0 on the road with goals from Achraf Bencharki and Naim Aarab before ending the group stage with a 1-0 win over Zanaco. Quarter final Wydad faced a mouthwatering two-legged encounter against defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns. The South Africans had the upper hand in the first leg in Pretoria, winning 1-0. Yannick Zakri scored the winner from close range after being found unmarked when a corner caused mayhem in the Wydad area. In the second leg in Casablanca, Salaheddine Saidi levelled the aggregate score on 26 minutes when he met playmaker Mohammad Ounnajem's inviting cross with a fine far-post header which went into the corner of the net. Wydad prevailed on penalties for the second time in this year's Champions League final, winning 3-2 following an aggregate 1-1 draw. Semi final In the last four, a cagey first-leg between Wydad and USM Alger ended goalless in Algiers, with the visitors soaking up pressure and defending stoutly. The return leg in Casablanca was a livelier affair. Walid El Karti fired Wydad in front after 26 minutes when he side-footed home a right-wing cross after it had eluded the keeper and Bencharki made it 2-0 in the 54th minute when he rose unmarked to head home a free kick from Ounnajem. However, USM's Ayoub Abdellaoui gave Wydad some nervous moments in the latter stages when he pulled one back with a scuffed close-range effort on 67 minutes. With USM pouring forward to score another goal and sneak through on the away goal rule, Bencharki crushed their hopes in stoppage time when he skipped past his challenger in the area and fired a shot in off the bar for a 3-1 aggregate win. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
