Wydad Casablanca win first leg of African super league final

CASABLANCA : Wydad Casablanca substitute Anas Serrhat volleyed home a powerful shot from outside the penalty area to give the Moroccan club a 2-1 home victory over South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in Sunday’s first leg of the African Football League final.

The 78th-minute winner came four minutes after Sundowns had equalised with a penalty from their Moroccan defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil.

An own goal by Rivaldo Coetzee put Wydad ahead four minutes before halftime of the match, watched by a capacity 45,000-strong crowd at the Mohamed V Stadium.

The African Football League was launched this season as the continent’s effort to create a super league but, with a single sponsor and no major television deals, was turned into an eight-team knockout tournament. The second leg of the final is next Sunday in Pretoria.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Clare Fallon)