2017 CAF Champions League final

The 2017 CAF Champions League Final was the final of the 2017 CAF Champions League, the 53rd edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 21st edition under the current CAF Champions League title.

2017 CAF Champions League Final
Mohammed V Stadium hosted the podium where Wydad AC lifted the trophy
Event2017 CAF Champions League
on aggregate
First leg
Date28 October 2017 (2017-10-28)
VenueBorg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria
RefereeBamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)[1]
Attendance60,000
Second leg
Date4 November 2017 (2017-11-04)
VenueStade Mohammed V, Casablanca
RefereeBakary Gassama (Gambia)[2]
Attendance65,000
2016
2018

The final was contested in two-legged home-and-away format between Al Ahly of Egypt and Wydad AC of Morocco.[3] The first leg was hosted by Al Ahly at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria on 28 October 2017, while the second leg was hosted by Wydad AC at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca on 4 November 2017. The winner earned the right to represent the CAF at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup, entering at the quarterfinal stage, as well as play in the 2018 CAF Super Cup against the winner of the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup.[4]

After the first leg ended in a 1–1 draw,[5] Wydad AC defeated Al Ahly 1–0 in the second leg to win 2–1 on aggregate, and were crowned African champions for the second time.[6]

Teams

In the following table, finals until 1996 were in the African Cup of Champions Club era, since 1997 were in the CAF Champions League era.

TeamZonePrevious finals appearances (bold indicates winners)
Al-AhlyUNAF (North Africa)10 (1982, 1983, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013)
Wydad ACUNAF (North Africa)2 (1992, 2011)

Al-Ahly is the most successful club with 8 titles reaching a total of eleven finals, winning eight (1982, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012,2013) and losing two (1983, 2007).

Wydad AC had reached the final of the African Cup of Champions Clubs twice, winning one in 1992 and losing another in 2011. They were the first Moroccan side to reach the final of Africa's premier club championship since 2011 and also the only Moroccan side to reach this round since 2002 after Raja CA.

Venues

Borg El Arab Stadium

Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria, Egypt, hosted the first leg.

The Borg Elarab stadium is a stadium commissioned in 2006 in the Mediterranean Sea resort of Borg elarab; 25 km west of Alexandria, Egypt. It is the largest stadium in Egypt and the second largest in Africa (after FNB Stadium in Johannesburg) with a capacity of 86,000[7] and is an all-seater. It is also the 27th largest stadium in the world, and the 9th largest association football stadium in the world. It is located on the Cairo-Alexandria desert highway 10 km from Borg Elarab Airport and 15 km from Alexandria's city centre. A running track runs around the pitch, and the ground has four large floodlights. Only one stand is covered by a roof.

The stadium is 145 feddans, is surrounded by a fence which is 3 km long, an internal road network its long is 6 km, a parking lot which could fit 5000 cars and 200 bus beside an airstrip, there are 136 electronic entrances. The main cabin is covered by an umbrella which covers 35% of the stadium total area, and it is considered the biggest umbrella in the Middle East. Its length is 200 m, its dimension is 60 m and its area is 12,000 m2, which is equal to 3 feddans.

The stadium is air-conditioned and that condition includes the clothes chambers, the salons and entrances, also the stadium includes 8 elevators for broadcasters, handicapped, services and important persons. There are 2 sub-stadiums for training and each ground can hold 2000 spectators, includes 2 locker rooms and a stadium for Athletics. The stadium also includes a hotel for 200 guests which is air-conditioned and has a swimming pool, gym and a department building which contains 80 people. The stadium includes a building which contains 300 presses. This building includes cabinets for broadcasters, entrances for emergency, ambulance cars, 39 and cafeterias, 337 bathrooms which classified to 33 bathrooms for women and 8 bathrooms for the handicapped.

Stade Mohammed V

Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca,Morocco, hosted the second leg.

The Stade Mohammed V (Arabic: مركب محمد الخامس) is part of a big athletic complex situated in the heart of the city of Casablanca, Morocco, in the western part of Casablanca district. It was inaugurated March 6, 1955, and currently has a capacity of 67,000.

The stadium's record attendance of 100,000[8] was set in 1997, in a football match between Raja CA and their rivals Wydad AC.

Often hosting the games of the Morocco national football team, the Mohammed V Stadium is equally known as the home of Wydad AC and Raja CA. It is named after King Mohammed V of Morocco.

Road to the final

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

Al AhlyRound Wydad AC
OpponentAgg.1st leg2nd legQualifying roundsOpponentAgg.1st leg2nd leg
Bidvest Wits1–01–0 (H)0–0 (A)First round CF Mounana1–1 (5–4 p)1–0 (H)0–1 (A)
OpponentResultGroup stageOpponentResult
Zanaco0–0 (H)Matchday 1 Coton Sport2–0 (H)
Coton Sport2–0 (A)Matchday 2 Zanaco0–1 (A)
Wydad AC2–0 (H)Matchday 3 Al Ahly0–2 (A)
Wydad AC0–2 (A)Matchday 4 Al Ahly2–0 (H)
Zanaco0–0 (A)Matchday 5 Coton Sport2–0 (A)
Coton Sport3–1 (H)Matchday 6 Zanaco1–0 (H)
Group D Runner-up
PosTeamPldPts
1 Wydad AC612
2 Al Ahly611
3 Zanaco611
4 Coton Sport60
Source: CAF
Final standingsGroup D winner
PosTeamPldPts
1 Wydad AC612
2 Al Ahly611
3 Zanaco611
4 Coton Sport60
Source: CAF
OpponentAgg.1st leg2nd legKnockout stageOpponentAgg.1st leg2nd leg
Espérance de Tunis4–32–2 (H)2–1 (A)Quarter-finals Mamelodi Sundowns1–1 (3–2 p)0–1 (A)1–0 (H)
Étoile du Sahel7–41–2 (A)6–2 (H)Semi-finals USM Alger3–10–0 (A)3–1 (H)

Format

The final was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the order of legs decided by an additional draw held after the group stage draw, which was held on 26 April 2017.[9] If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 26 & 27).[4]

Matches

First leg

Amine Atouchi (Wydad AC) missed the first leg after picking up a red card in the second leg of their semi-final against USM Alger.

Zakaria scored for Al Ahly in the third minute after he received a pass outside the penalty area before quickly unleashing a shot with his left foot into the back of the net. Wydad AC then replied with a goal of their own when Ounajem broke through on the right flank and delivered a ball for Bencharki to head in the equaliser.[10]

Al Ahly 1–1 Wydad AC
  • Zakaria 3'
Report
Al Ahly
Wydad AC
GK1 Sherif Ekramy (c)
RB24 Ahmed Fathy
CB20 Saad Samir
CB23 Mohamed Naguib
LB21 Ali Maâloul
CM17 Amr El Solia
CM3 Ramy Rabia  78'
RW8 Moamen Zakaria
AM19 Abdallah El Said
LW28 Junior Ajayi  63'
CF12 Walid Azaro
Substitutes:
GK26 Mohamed El Shenawy
DF7 Hussein El Sayed
DF30 Mohamed Hany
MF11 Walid Soliman  63'  86'
MF16 Ahmed Hamoudi  78'
FW10 Emad Moteab  86'
FW15 Ahmed El Sheikh
Manager:
Hossam El Badry
GK22 Zouhair Laaroubi  90+2'
RB28 Abdelatif Noussir
CB13 Youssef Rabeh
CB25 Mohamed Ouattara
LB8 Badr Gaddarine
DM6 Brahim Nekkach (c)  72'
RM7 Mohamed Ounajem  27'
CM18 Walid El Karti
CM4 Salaheddine Saidi  63'
LM11 Ismail Haddad  83'
CF17 Achraf Bencharki
Substitutes:
GK12 Badreddine Benachour
DF16 Naïm Aarab
DF27 Zakaria El Hachimi
MF2 Anas El Asbahi
MF9 Mohammed Aoulad
MF26 Abdeladim Khadrouf  27'
FW10 Guillaume Nicaise Daho  83'
Manager:
Hussein Ammouta

Assistant referees:
Olivier Safari Kabene (DR Congo)
Waleed Ahmed Ali (Sudan)
Fourth official:
Sidi Alioum (Cameroon)

Second leg

Both sides were without some key players through injury for the decisive match. Mohamed Ounajem (Wydad AC) strained his thigh during the first leg and Ali Maâloul (Al Ahly) was also out with groin injuries.

In the second leg, El Karti scored for Wydad AC the winning goal with a header in the 69th minute from a precise cross delivered by Bencharki.[11]

Wydad AC 1–0 Al Ahly
Report
Attendance: 65,000
Wydad AC
Al Ahly
GK22 Zouhair Laaroubi  90+3'
RB28 Abdelatif Noussir
CB13 Youssef Rabeh  40'
CB5 Amine Atouchi
LB8 Badr Gaddarine
RM26 Abdeladim Khadrouf  83'  86'
CM18 Walid El Karti
CM6 Brahim Nekkach (c)
CM4 Salaheddine Saidi
LM11 Ismail Haddad  90+3'
CF17 Achraf Bencharki
Substitutes:
GK12 Badreddine Benachour
DF16 Naïm Aarab
DF25 Mohamed Ouattara  90+3'
DF27 Zakaria El Hachimi  86'
MF24 Jamel Aït Ben Idir
FW9 Mohammed Aoulad
FW10 Guillaume Nicaise Daho
Manager:
Hussein Ammouta
GK1 Sherif Ekramy (c)
RB30 Mohamed Hany
CB3 Ramy Rabia
CB20 Saad Samir
LB7 Hussein El Sayed  77'
CM17 Amr El Solia  77'
CM24 Ahmed Fathy  39'  72'
RW8 Moamen Zakaria  67'
AM19 Abdallah El Said
LW28 Junior Ajayi  22'
CF12 Walid Azaro  60'
Substitutes:
GK26 Mohamed El Shenawy
DF6 Sabri Raheel
DF23 Mohamed Naguib
MF11 Walid Soliman  77'
MF16 Ahmed Hamoudi  85'  60'
FW10 Emad Moteab  72'
FW15 Ahmed El Sheikh
Manager:
Hossam El Badry

Assistant referees:
Jean-Claude Birumushahu (Burundi)
Marwa Range (Kenya)
Fourth official:
Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)

See also

References