Morocco's FAR Rabat claimed the final berth in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals following a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Egyptian giants Al Ahly in Cairo on Sunday. The result lifted the Moroccan military club to nine points in Group B, sufficient to edge out Tanzania's Young Africans, who recorded a 3-0 victory over Algeria's JS Kabylie in Zanzibar City but fell one point short.
Morocco's FAR Rabat claimed the final berth in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals following a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Egyptian giants Al Ahly in Cairo on Sunday. The result lifted the Moroccan military club to nine points in Group B, sufficient to edge out Tanzania's Young Africans, who recorded a 3-0 victory over Algeria's JS Kabylie in Zanzibar City but fell one point short.
The match at Cairo's 45,000-seat stadium saw record 12-time African champions Al Ahly dominate possession but fail to convert territorial advantage into goals, prompting frustrated home supporters to hurl bottles toward the pitch. Al Ahly still finished atop Group B with 10 points, ensuring they will be among the seeded teams in Tuesday's quarter-final draw.
The eight-team lineup represents one of the strongest collections in the competition's 62-year history. Joining Al Ahly as seeded sides are defending champions and fellow Egyptian club Pyramids, surprise package Stade Malien of Mali, and Sudanese side Al Hilal, who have played their home matches in Rwanda due to the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
The unseeded quartet features FAR Rabat and Renaissance Berkane from Morocco, South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns, and Tunisia's Esperance. The pedigree of the remaining teams is formidable: Ahly, Pyramids, FAR, Esperance, and Sundowns have all previously lifted the trophy, while Malien and Hilal have finished as runners-up. Berkane, Champions League debutants, arrive with impressive continental experience having won the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup three times and finished as runners-up twice in the past seven seasons.
