CAF Cup: USM Alger edge Zamalek at the end of suspense
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All original articlesThe first leg of the final of the African Confederation Cup turned in favor of USM Alger. At the end of a completely crazy scenario, the Algerian club won against Zamalek SC (1-0), on Saturday evening at the 5-Juillet stadium, thanks to a penalty converted in the final seconds by Ahmed Khaldi. A short lead but a valuable advantage before the return scheduled for May 16 in Cairo.
In this Maghrebian duel, which was very close for a good part of the match, open opportunities have long been rare. Yet, the Egyptians quickly showed their intentions with a first alert signed Chico Banza at the 6th minute. Well served by Oday Dabbagh, the striker did not manage to fool the enemy’s vigilance with a recovery that was too timid. The first period then boiled down to an intense tactical battle, where both formations mostly tried their luck from afar without really worrying the goalkeepers.
Zamalek punished in a cruel scenario
After the break, the Zamalek clearly took control of the debates and got the best situations. Banza came close to opening the scoring after a powerful shot that brushed the frame. A few minutes later, Mohamed Ismaïl had to carry out a saving intervention to prevent the Cairotes from taking the advantage. The men of the Egyptian club kept pushing. In the 53rd minute, Chico Banza eliminated the goalkeeper before seeing his attempt saved on the line by an Algerian defender. Then, in the 67th minute, Oday Dabbagh thought he was delivering his team, but the VAR canceled the goal for a prior foul.
While Zamalek seemed to be getting closer to a positive result on the outside, the match has completely changed into added time. Juan Bezerra thought he was giving away the victory to the visitors after a superb break in the area in the 91st minute. But after video consultation, the referee finally canceled the goal for a hand from Hossam Abdel Meguid in the action. The decision caused enormous anger on the Egyptian side. Mahmoud Bentayg has been expelled for dispute and will miss the return match, another hard blow for Zamalek. In the process, the referee awarded a penalty to USM Alger. Ahmed Khaldi didn’t hesitate to change the sentence in the 98th minute and blow up the stadium on July 5th.
Thanks to this thrilling success, USM Alger takes a slight option on the continental trophy. But everything remains open before the return leg at the Cairo stadium, where Zamalek will try to turn the situation around in front of his home crowd to win another African title.