Al Ahly leave it late to keep Champions League hopes alive

• Al Ahly scored two late goals to win against Merrikh
• They now cement second spot with seven points
• Ahly will face Al Hilal in their final group match

Mohamed Sherif and Ahmed Abdelkader scored two goals in two minutes as defending champions Al Ahly kept their CAF Champions League hopes alive with a 3-1 win over AL Merrikh in Cairo.

Ahly who have had a mixed start to their title defense had gone ahead through Percy Tau’s first half strike but Merrikh drew level in the second half through Ramadan Agab.

But, Ahly, who were playing as the away team in Cairo, scored in the 72^nd and 73^rd minutes through Sherif and Abdelkader to bag all three points.

The win now takes the Red Devils to seven points with one match remaining, what looks a likely finale against another Sudanese side, Al Hilal. Merrikh meanwhile lost their third successive match and see their quarter final hopes diminished.

It was a good response for Ahly who had come into the tie off back to back 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns who have already qualified to the quarters.

“The game was difficult but the most important thing is that we won and collected three more points in the qualification race. I knew that we would come good and there is no cause for alarm. We will continue working the same way,” said Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane.

Coming into the tie with four points from four matches, Ahly were under pressure to get their campaign back on track.

Percy Tau in action against Al Merrikh

They were off to a flier and got a 19^th minute lead when Tau capitalized on a poor defensive header from Hamza Dawood before striking a low shot into the net. The holders held on to this lead till halftime.

In the second half, Ahly came back stronger and were denied by the bar in the 52^nd minute when Agab curled the ball onto the woodwork after picking up a cross from Tony Edjomariegwe.

The striker however got his much desired goal on the hour mark when he pounced on the ball after keeper Mohamed Elshenawy punched a shot from Hussien Nooh Mohamed right into his path.

But Ahly quickly regrouped and went back into the lead in the 72^nd minute when Sheriff finished off Ali Maaloul’s cross with a first time shot.

Ahmed Abdelkader celebrates his goal

Immediately after the restart, substitute Abdelkader who had just spent 10 minutes on the pitch pickpocketed a Merrikh defender of the ball at the edge of the box before dribbling in and scoring with some delightful finish.

The Egyptian giants held on to the lead and the three points to boost their bid for a ticket into the quarter finals.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Al Hilal will take on Mamelodi Sundowns in Omdurman and the Sudanese side will be out to pick points and keep the pressure on AHly. However, a draw or a defeat will mean that Ahly now need just a point when they lock horns in the final match of the group end of the month.