TP Mazembe, the defending champion, and Al Ahly, who won the event six times, set foot in the final of the Champions League CAF by winning the first leg of their semi-final.
Mazembe overcame the searing heat of the Stade de la Kenya in Lubumbashi to prevail 3-1 at JS Kabylie and thus acquire a comfortable income to face a second leg in Algeria announcing complicated. El Al Ahly, meanwhile, earned a 2-1 victory worked on Tunisian Esperance in Cairo last night.
While the victory is in the interests of the Egyptians, returned to Tunisia Espérance having scored an away goal that could be worth its weight in gold when both teams cross again in a fortnight. North Africans drew on their pride to close the gap, and the captain took a punt Oussama Darragi defective rear contrary to sign a goal that keeps alive their own options.
El Al Ahly close in on his rival from the start, and saw their efforts rewarded eight minutes from halftime when Mohamed Fadhel opened the box. Ahmed Fathi then extended the lead to the Red Devils with a beautifully crafted target, before the triumph Darragi local tarnish.
Mazembe expected until late
In the other semifinal, at 80 minutes of play it appeared that the meeting saldaría with tables. However, Mazembe went on the attack in the final minutes, scoring two goals and got nearly straight, that surprised the Kabylia and leave in a very complicated situation.
Mazembe learned to resist the intense pressure from his opponent, especially after the Algerian equaled by Amine Aoudia. The goal came after a joint effort of the visitors, who rallied in a stunning after suffering a setback at the start of the race. And while several factors explain their poor start, as the sweltering temperature of Lubumbashi, the last five minutes were disastrous, because it did not show strong enough to preserve the tie.
The Congolese dominated for almost the entire first half, after starring in a perfect start. After eight minutes, the striker Dioko Kaluyituka ahead of his team, to finish the ball. The stadium vibrated with both, but Aoudia would soon silence the public with the Algerian goal.
Mazembe captain, Pamphile Mihayo, acknowledged that the result even if successful, will force the team to make a major effort in return. "I feel more relaxed if we set another goal," he said. "But I can not complain. We'll have to hire us to depth in Algeria in two weeks, yes, but I think it set a single goal and classify us. "
