When the second CAF Champions League semi-final pair was announced, many African fans were delighted to see the current champion Wydad Athletic Club paired with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns. It was supposed to be a tasty affair between two great teams, unlike the other fixture, in which Al Ahly already won 3-0 against Esperance, but the first leg finished in a boring stalemate: Wydad – Sundowns 0-0. As it often happens when two good teams meet, they tend to cancel each other out, and this is what happened, but considering the situation on the field and missed chances, the Moroccan champion is basically the loser. The home team had an extra man on the field since the 43rd minute but failed to use the advantage and also missed three excellent chances to score. On the other hand, the visitors managed to survive the whole second half with 10 men and even with 9 in injury time and are looking forward to the rematch in front of their own fans.9️⃣ 😳Sundowns held defending CAF Champions League winners Wydad Athletic Club to a goalless draw#CAFCL pic.twitter.com/ageIkINYUc— GOAL South Africa (@GOALcomSA) May 13, 2023 Both clubs were unbeaten prior to this match, Wydad at home and Sundowns throughout the tournament, and they both managed to keep their records intact at the expense of goals. The first half was an unusually boring one, as both teams basically denied one another, but with Sundowns having more ball possession. The guests even scored after 11 minutes, but VAR nullified Peter Shalulile’s goal, after which a stalemate followed until the 40th minute. And then, in just three minutes, two interesting things happened. After a nod from VAR, the referee showed a red card to Neo Maema after a rough challenge. Just after that, the best (and only) chance of the first half followed. After a good cross from the right, Yahia Attiyat Allah’s header was destined for the goal, but Sundowns’ keeper Williams made a great save and sent the ball to the corner.(©AFP)The home team tried their best to use the advantage of an extra man on the field but failed even to make a shot on target until the 65th minute when a colossal chance was missed. Allah passed the ball forward, and then Mvala missed the ball completely, allowing Zouhair El Moutaraji to take it. Alone in front of Williams, he failed to put the ball past him for the lead. The home team had another great chance near the end of the game, but the substitute Hamid Ahdad didn’t use well the perfect cross from the right and tucked the ball away from the goal. Mamelodi Sundowns finished the game with nine men, as Marcelo Allende got the red card after another bad tackle, which VAR confirmed. The decision will be made in seven days in South Africa.CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUESemifinals, first legFridayEsperance Tunis – Al Ahly 0-3 (0-1)/Tau 8, 56, Kahraba 75 /SaturdayWydad Casablanca – Mamelodi 0-0
