The CAF champions league witnessed Zamalek take strides, and Al-Masry and Al-Ahli stumble and fall. Abeer Anwar reports Click to view caption Many deciding goals are so-called classic plays; applaudable, but not quite amazing by any means. Zamalek's deciding goal against Tunisia's Esperance Sportive of Tunis, however, was one of the latter: Sensational. In the 15th minute, Medhat Abdel-Hady put Zamalek's foot into the semifinal spot with his diving header. The only goal of the match, Abdel-Hady headed the only goal of the match from a free kick to send the 90,000 crowd -- which included FIFA President Sepp Blatter and CAF boss Issa Hayatou -- wild. It was not all smooth sailing from there -- the match still had a way to go, and after the goal, Esperance took over, with Ali Zitouni and Mourad Melki coming close to scoring the equaliser. Zitouni missed a rebound off the post and two other players followed up, but failed to net. It did not get better for Zamalek, especially after an injured Hazem Emam was replaced, putting a slight damper on what had been a great day. His replacement in the 62nd minute, Abdel-Halim Aly, could have made a good start but his effort from a Hossam Hassan pass went inches wide. In an ill-tempered second-half, veteran striker Hassan failed to score after the Esperance keeper, Jean-Jacques Tizie, had left his line to close down on Emam. Zamalek played cautiously to defend the three points as the incoherent Tunisians struggled to draw level. Zamalek's victory avoided a North African derby in the next stage: By finishing top of the group, the Egyptian side will play Tout Puissant Mazembe in the semi-finals. Things did not come in leaps and bounds for all the Egyptian teams. Jeunesse Sportive Kabilye reached the final of the CAF Cup for the third time in a row after ousting Egypt's Al- Masry. The Algerian current CAF Cup holders won 2-0, 2-1 on aggregate, and are now on course for a hat-trick of titles. The tense encounter was disrupted twice when Al -Masry players disputed a penalty awarded to JSK in the 43rd minute. The Cape Verdian referee had to be shielded by security in the middle of the pitch as a troop of furious Al-Masry players confronted officials. Monteiro Duarte whistled for the spot-kick leaving Farouk Belkaid with only the keeper to beat. Ironically, the two key Kabilye' players who had missed the first-leg in Port Said were the saviours of the Algerian side. Belkaid converted the penalty shot into a chance at a spot in the finals after a near ten-minute delay. The other Port Said absentee, Lounes Bendahmane, had put his side level on aggregate in the 17th minute from a free-kick that beat the keeper with the help of a deflection. A welcomed turn- around after a 1-0 loss in the first leg played two weeks ago. JSK -- who have surely overcome the sudden first-leg loss that came from an 89th minute strike -- will play either Tonnerre Yaounde of Cameroon, or Satellite of Cote d'Ivoire. National falls did not end there. Al-Ahli toppled under the determination of Raja Casablanca of Morocco, who secured their semi-final spot in the CAF Champions League with a 3-3 draw against Al-Ahli in Cairo. The match, to say the very least, was intense. Hamid Nater opened scoring for the Moroccans with a goal in the third minute, with the Egypt's Ibrahim Said equalising in the 19th minute. Five minutes into the second half, Khaled Bebo's strike put Ahli into the lead. That was not all: In the 65th minute, Ahmed Belal scored a third, making it look like the defending African champions -- already eliminated from the active competition -- had secured a consolation win. The Egyptians were rioting in joy. But with only 2,000 fans in attendance, the Moroccans were spared the noise of the usually intimidating Cairo crowd and pressed forward to reverse the tally. Their incessant forays into the Egyptian half were rewarded into the 89th minute with a goal from Hicham Aboucherouane, who went on to score a penalty a minute later to draw the tie. The anti-climax, to understate the mood, was immense.
