Wydad reach controversial CAF Champions League final to be stage on home soil

Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca qualified for a third CAF Champions League final in six seasons despite being held 1-1 by Angolan visitors Petro Luanda on Friday.

Two-time African champions Wydad triumphed 4-2 on aggregate having won the first leg of the semi-final 3-1 in Luanda last Saturday.

Wydad will confront title-holders Al Ahly from Egypt or Entente Setif from Algeria in the May 30 final with the Cairo club defending a 4-0 first-leg lead in Algiers on Saturday.

The final is scheduled for Morocco, but Ahly have asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decision, citing the need for a neutral venue.

Playing with confidence and energy lacking in the first leg, Petro went ahead on 21 minutes through Gleison Moreira, one of three Brazilians in the starting line-up.

Amine Farhane levelled seven minutes later at the Stade Mohammed V in the Moroccan commercial capital, and while Petro had more possession thereafter, they could not score again.

The closest the Luanda outfit came to securing what would have been a deserved second-leg victory was in added time at the end of the second half when substitute Erico Castro struck the woodwork.

With so much at stake, tempers became frayed as the second half progressed with four players from Wydad and three from Petro yellow carded. A member of the Angolan technical team was also cautioned.

Red card

Petro substitute Adriano Yano was shown a red card by the South African referee after the final whistle for dissent.

After displaying clinical efficiency to build a two-goal first-leg advantage, Wydad were favoured to win again in front of a huge, vocal, largely red-clad home crowd.

Petro had to score at least three goals to survive