CAIRO, Oct. 3, 2018 (News Wires) - Al Ahly Coach Patrice Carteron says their Champions League semi-final tie with ES Sétif isn't over despite a 2-0 victory in the first-leg in Cairo. The Reds beat Algerian side ES Sétif 2-0 at El-Salam Stadium, thanks to Walid Soliman and Islam Mohareb's first-half strikes. Al Ahly will travel to Algeria to play the return-leg on October 23, with the Egyptian side needing a draw or a 1-0 loss to secure their place in the final. "We learned about Sherif Ekramy's suspension and that the game will be without fans, only hours before the encounter, and certainly these things did not please me," Carteron said in his post-match press conference. "I dedicate this victory to the Al Ahly fans everywhere, who were unable to attend the game. "We had a lot of chances to score and the game was open from both sides, but in the second-half, we did not perform well. "So far we have not put a foot in the final despite winning with two goals. ES Setif also wasted several chances," he added. The French manager has also spoken on Hossam Ashour's substitution and Moroccan forward Walid Azaro, who missed a number of easy chances. "Ashour was suffering from an injury in the last 15 minutes of the game and we tried to rest him," he said. "Walid Azaro had a good game and I didn't want to bring him off to give him more confidence," Carterton concluded. Meanwhile, Al Ahly general manager Mohamed Youssef said that they could've doubled the scoring following their 2-0 win against E.S Setif in the CAF Champions League. The Red Devils have beaten Algerian side ES Setif 2-0 in the first leg of the CAF Champions League semi-final, to put one foot in the final. "We could've doubled the scoring, but we missed a lot of opportunities," Youssef told BeinSport TV channel. "The most important thing is that we didn't concede any goals and we had a lot of difficulties like Hossam Ashour and Ali Maaloul's injuries. "I already said that the game is 180 minutes long and today we ended the first-half and now we await another important game on October 23 in Algeria. "We have to prepare very well and a lot of players will come back from injury," he added. Youssef then commented on the absence of supporters during the game: "Fans are really important for Al Ahly but we reminded the players of what happened in 2012 and 2013 when we played without fans. "We won both African competitions at that time and we used to play in the El Gouna stadium in the afternoon without supporters, and we asked them [the players] to forget about everything and concentrate on winning," he concluded. Al Ahly will face ES Setif in the second leg of the CAF Champions League semi-final on October 23.
