Ahli held Kano Pillars to a tame 1-1 draw in the first leg of the CAF Champions League round of 16 on Saturday, thanks to a superb strike by second-half substitute Hani Al-Egeizi. Victor Namo put the Nigerian outfit in front shortly after the half-hour mark, and Al-Egeizi headed the leveler 20 minutes from time. Influential midfield duo Mohamed Barakat and Ahmed Hassan missed the game through injury, which clearly affected the defending champions. Ahli skipper Shadi Mohamed pulled out the squad after sustaining a groin problem during training on Friday. Stand-in player Mohamed Samir deputized for the international defender to complete Ahli's three-man defense. Flavio Amado was deployed as a lone striker, whereas Sayed Moawad was included in the starting eleven. Supposedly, Ahli now have better qualification chances, given that they will host Kano in the return leg next month. Early Dominance Ahli exerted notable dominance in the early minutes over their opponents, who seemed to be helpless for a while. Moataz Eno could have earned his team an early lead, but the opposition goalie parried his powerful free-kick away. Hossam Ashour released another shot shortly after, but the custodian rose to the challenge once again. Seconds later, Mohamed Abou-Treika came close after heading a corner-kick, but Kano defense cleared off his effort.
The Red Devils eased off as bit on the quarter-hour mark, which gave the home side the chance to adopt a more offensive strategy. Ahli were made to pay for their lenient approach when Al-Haj Mohamed whipped in a cross that found an unmarked Namo, who rose to nod home on 32 minutes. Inexperienced defender Samir is to blame for the goal, as he failed to intercept to the cross although he was in close proximity. Five minutes later, Gilberto tried his luck from the box, but his weak shot was no threat and the hosts maintained their superiority till the interval. Quick Impact After the restart, Manuel Jose replaced Mowad with Ahmed Sedik, a substitution that didn't make much of a difference for the Egyptian giants. Cautious were both teams for a while, with Kano keen to maintain their slender lead and Ahli unable to overtake their rearguard. Later on, the home side took charge of the ball possession, but couldn't carve out full-scale scoring chances. Al-Egeizi came on as a substitute instead of Eno in an attempt to bolster Ahli's frontline, and the former Baladeya man made an impact in not time. On 70 minutes, Al-Egeizi connected with Gilberto's left pinpoint cross from a narrow angle to restore parity and help the six-time African champions redeem themselves. Seven minutes from time, Ahmed Fathi was close to firing Ahli ahead, but his fierce free-kick was competently denied by the keeper. The match's goals
