Al Ahly and TP Mazembe drew 0-0 in the first-leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final on Saturday evening.
Bafana Bafana forward Percy Tau returned from his ankle injury but started from the bench after last featuring for the Red Devils in the quarter-final first-leg against Simba.
Al Ahly manager Marcel Koller made five changes following their defeat against rivals Zamalek in the league on Monday, as Amr El Soleya, Akram Tawfik, Ahmed Abdelkader, Wessam Abou Ali and Reda Slim were brought in.
Mazembe were all over the Egyptian giants in the early exchanges and on 18 minutes, Likonza Glody had a big chance at the back post but was denied by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir from close-range.
The Ravens continued to put Al Ahly under tremendous pressure and just after the half-hour mark, Likonza had another chance with a free header in the box that sailed over the crossbar.
The Egyptian giants had no rest, as they just absorbed the pressure and on the stroke of half-time TP Mazembe had another big opportunity through Fily Traoré, who went clear on goal but Shobeir made a blinding save to keep the score goalless at half-time.
Koller eventually brought on Tau from the break in place of Slim and the Bafana attacker's fresh legs helped Al Ahly to press high, as they forced Mazembe defence into errors.
However, Lamine N'Diaye's troops regained their dominance after the hour-mark, although they were not finding spaces to exploit in the dangerous areas.
The Ravens remained on the front foot and with 15 minutes to go, Oscar Tshikomb had a chance with a shot in the box that did not trouble Shobeir.
Mazembe continued to threaten in the dying minutes but the Red Devils, although they almost conceded in the tail end, stood firm and held on to the share of the spoils.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
Click HERE to register!
