5 things we learned as Al-Ahly and Wydad confirm all-Arab CAF Champions League final

The final of the 2021-22 CAF Champions League at the end of May will be an all-Arab affair. In the semi-finals Wydad AC of Morocco defeated Angola’s Petro de Luanda 4-2 on aggregate while Egypt’s Al-Ahly emerged as 6-2 victors over ES Setif of Algeria. Here are five things we learned from the latest matches.

Setif had too much to do after first leg disaster

The tie was as good as over after 35 minutes of the first leg in Cairo. Percy Tau opened the scoring after half an hour. When Setif had Amir Karaoui sent off five minutes later it was always a case of damage limitation. The first leg ended 4-0 and there was no way that the Algerians were coming back from that against the defending champions.

It took the pressure off the Egyptian giants for what could have been a tough trip to face 60,000 fans in Algiers. Whatever nerves there were must have been dispelled when Abdel Kaber scored after just two minutes to silence the home fans. Setif, to their credit, kept going until the end and drew 2-2 but they just had too much to do after the first game. Al-Ahly have won the tournament ten times in the past and have rarely had such a straightforward semi-final experience.

Wydad have a tougher time

Wydad AC also did the hard work in the first leg against Petro de Luanda, winning 3-1 in Angola. A team with the continental experience that the Moroccans have — having lifted the trophy twice and reached the final on two other occasions — was not going to let such an advantage slip. They drew 1-1 in front of 45,000 fans in Casablanca.

It was not as easy as it sounds, however. Petro went for it and attacked the hosts with aggression and ambition and when Gleison opened the scoring after 21 minutes to reduce the arrears, there were