Santos sprang a surprise by beating an out-of-sorts Ahli 6-5 on penalties after recording a 3-0 home win in the CAF Confederation Cup round of 16, to reach the group stage on Sunday. Ahli won the first leg 3-0 in Cairo, and were widely expected to ease to the next round, but the Angolan outfit put in a stunning performance to defeat the Egyptian champions. Bibitchaw and Milaks scored one goal apiece either side of the interval, and Faro hit a late third to send the tie to penalty shootout. Ahmed Belal, Gilberto, Ahmed Fathi converted the first three penalties for the Red Devils, before Flavio Amado's shot was blocked by the goalie. Skipper Shadi Mohamed and midfielder Ahmed Hassan scored from the spot, but Ahmed Ali failed to slot home. Santos' players converted all their penalties except for the second shot that hit the cross bar. The match marked the end of Manuel Jose's glittering spell, as the Portuguese coach is taking charge of the Angolan national side. Pressure The early minutes of the game witnessed ineffective pressure from the home side, while Ahli's rearguard remained tight for a while. The visitors had an early chance when Fathi exchanged passes with Flavio, who cannoned a powerful shot that went a couple of inches over the crossbar. However, the Red Devils' defenders eased off a bit after the quarter-hour mark, which enabled Santos to carve out more scoring chances. Bibitchaw put Santos ahead on 27 minutes after releasing a fierce shot that ended in the right corner of the net. The goal gave the minnows a morale boost, and they tried to take a stranglehold on the game.
Jose ended his Ahli stint at a low ebb Jose sent Hassan in after the half-hour mark instead to Moataz Eno, in an attempt to take control in midfield. Silsaw could have doubled Satnos' lead with a precise header, but goalie Ramzi Saleh competently blocked it. Cutting-edge Santos maintained the upper hand after the break, and later on they overcame their lack of cutting-edge. Fathi tried his luck five minutes after the restart, but his shot was blocked by a Santos defender. The Angolans intensified their attack and got the lion's share of the ball possession, while Ahli seemed helpless. Defender Ahmed Al-Sayed cleared the ball off the line after Saleh failed to parry away a close-range shot. Flavio had the first threatening attempt for Ahli in the second period when he tried to slide home, but his effort was too easy for the Santos keeper. The post inhibited Santos from scoring shortly after. The deflected ball hit Hossam Ashour in the face, and he was stretchered off as a result. Milaks netted the second 14 minutes from time with a close-range half-volley to allow Santos to tighten their grip on the game. A couple of minutes from the final whistle, Faro connected with a low cross to cancel out Ahli's three-goal lead from the first leg. Santos' goals
