Trailing in Hoima, Al Ahly turned the tie around against Kitara FC (2-1) thanks to midfielder Omar El Saaiy and then a penalty from right winger Ahmed Sayed “Zizo”, who came off the bench, in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the Confederation Cup.
It took until the end of the match, and a man coming off the bench, for the Red Devils to seize control again.
On Saturday 17 October at Hoima City Stadium, in front of the home crowd, Al Ahly beat Kitara FC 2-1 in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the Confederation Cup, according to Ahraminfo and Goal.com. A win snatched at the death in Uganda, but it does not guarantee qualification: the second leg in Cairo, at the end of October, must confirm their place in the group stage.
Bakrar hits the post, Kitara punish
Al Ahly did not take long to show themselves. As early as the 8th minute, striker Moncef Bakrar headed against the Ugandan post from a Mohamed Magdy Afsha cross, according to Goal.com. In the 10th minute, a Yassin Marei shot from inside the box went just wide of the frame.
The punishment came from attacking midfielder Gadafi Wahab, who opened the scoring for Kitara FC between the 30th and 32nd minute, past Mohamed El-Shennawy, Al Ahly’s goalkeeper and captain. Several Al Ahly players were booked: Hussein El Shahat, Akram Tawfik and Yassin Marei, according to Ahraminfo, under the control of South African referee Eugine Nkosinathi Mdluli.
El Saaiy equalises, Zizo turns it around
Midfielder Omar El Saaiy equalised with a powerful strike after cutting inside, between the 62nd and 67th minute. Then the bench made the difference. Having come on in the 64th minute, Ahmed Sayed “Zizo” scored the winning goal by converting a penalty between the 80th and 82nd minute.
League and return to Cairo
Before this match, Al Ahly had beaten their rivals Zamalek 2-0 in their previous league game, on 11 October, Eurosport notes.
The club follow up with a trip to Al Qanah on 21 October in the Egyptian league, according to Goal.com. The second leg against Kitara will be played in Cairo at the end of October.