JEDDAH, 27 February 2007 — Al-Ahli and El Zamalek of Egypt qualified for the semifinals of Arab Champions League football competition after respectively beating Qadisiya of Kuwait 3-1 in Kuwait and CA Bordj Bou Arreridj 1-0 in Algeria last night.
The quarterfinal second leg victories left Zamalek on top of Group A with 10 points and Ahli second with 9 points. In beating their opponents Zamalek and Ahli made their March 13 match meaningless with only the final placings to be determined at the end of the round. CA Bordj Bou Arreridj will host Qadisiya on March 11.
The defeat dashed any hope the Algerian club had of qualifying on 5 points while Qadisiya on 4 points have long bowed out of the running.
It was the third setback for Qadisiya in international competitions after their exit from the Gulf Cup Championship for Clubs and AFC Champions League. Qadisiya entered the match determined to win and keep their hopes alive but they faced a team that were more resolute to qualify from the group and avoid any complications.
Ahli’s Tunisian import Haykal Gamamdeya scored the first goal for the Jeddah-based squad in the 14th minute of the match after passing two Kuwaiti defenders and making a strong shot that went in the back of the net of the Kuwaiti goal.
Ahli missed several chances of scoring more than one goal during the match. Ahli had the luxury of drawing back to the defense line after leading by one goal and relying on fast counterattacks. Ahli paid the price for their conservative approach as Ahmad Al-Balushi scored the equalizer for Qadisiya from a header inside the penalty box that went on the left hand side of the goalie in the 71st minute. The goal came as a result of a poor Ahli defense.
This goal prompted Ahli to go back on attacking football and they were rewarded for the shift in strategy as Kaio struck the marginal goal in the match.
The Kuwaiti goalie was tricked into making a big blunder when he strayed outside the penalty box to clear the ball. Kaio outmaneuvered the defense and put the ball in the back of the net in the 77th minute.
With a 2-1 lead Ahli played defensive football again in a smart move that worked, and Ahmad Darweesh sealed the match with a long-range goal in the 90th minute.
In the other match, Zamalek beat Arreridj 1-0 on a goal in the 53rd minute by Abdul Haleem Ali. El Zamalek will be without Wesam Al-Abidi when they play Ahli after Al- Abidi was red carded in the 90th minute.
Meantime, the Riyadh-based Nasr club face a daunting task against ES Setif of Algeria in Algeria in a Group B quarterfinal second leg match today. Nasr are under pressure to win the game three points against a team that enjoy the home-field advantage.
ES Setif are in second place with 7 points from two wins, one draw and one defeat and Nasr third with 6 points from two wins and two defeats. Nasr have excellent chances of taking the lead after Al-Faisali received a surprising loss against Kuwait of Kuwait 1-0 on Feb. 23. Despite two losses in a row Al-Faisali remained on top with 9 points with one match ahead of ES Setif and Nasr. Al-Faisali’s fate is not to be decided until the last match against ES Setif on March 15.
Unlike Group A, neither Nasr nor ES Setif is guaranteed of places to the next round if they win the match. Al-Faisali, ES Setif and Nasr are all in contention to make the semifinals from their group.
