African Champions: A humiliating loss complicates Al Ahly's mission. Wydad is approaching the quarter-finals

Egypt's Al Ahly have completed their qualification for the CAF Champions League quarter-finals after suffering a tough 2-5 loss at South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns yesterday in the fourth stage of the group stage, at Loftus Versfield Stadium in Pretoria. Moroccan champions Wydad Athletic approached the quarter-finals, after achieving their third consecutive win in Group A at the expense of hosts Petro Atlético of Angola 2-<> in Luanda.

Al-Ahli's balance froze at four points from four games in Group B, which was topped by Sundowns, with ten points compared to 9 for the Sudanese Crescent. Sundowns, who drew 2-2 with Al Ahly, secured their place in the quarter-finals to join Morocco's Raja. Al Ahly, the record holder for the number of times winning the continental title (10), have two matches left with Cameroon's Coton Spor, bottom of the standings without points and Al Hilal, so that the fate of the Cairo team will not be in his hands after stumbling in three games so far.

Chilean Marcelo Allende (4), Themba Zwane (24), Teboho Mukoena (40) and Namibian Peter Chalolili (72 and 88), Al Ahly Mohamed Sharif (13) and South African Percy Tau (61) scored for the winner. Swiss coach Marcel Kohler said his team wanted to take risks in the second half and come back in the result after trailing 1-3: "I think we did not deserve to win today against a big team like Sundowns."

Wydad renewed its superiority over Petro Atlético with two clean goals at home and among its fans, achieving its seventh victory in the history of their ten matches against an orphan victory for the Angolan team. The goals of the meeting were scored by the Congolese Democrats Arsene Zola (59) and Senegalese Boly Sambo (90+1). And put "Wydad Nation" first foot in the quarter-finals, as he raised his score to 9 points at the top of Group A in front of JS Kabylie Algeria (7 points), winner of Vita Club of the Democratic Republic of Congo IV 2-1 (3 points), and Petro Atletico comes third with four points.