Wydad Casablanca clinched the 2017 Caf Champions League title after a 2-1 aggregate win over Egyptian giants Al Ahly on Saturday.
A 69th minute Walid El Karti goal was enough for WAC to win the most prestigious African club trophy for the second time (since 1992) in the club’s history at a packed Mohammed V stadium in Casablanca.
The 23-year-old broke the deadlock rising well to nod home after some excellent build up play from Achraf Bencharki on the right flank.
As expected, Al Ahly started the match on the front foot as they were chasing the tie following the 1-1 draw in the first leg in Alexandria. Going into the second leg in Casablanca, Wydad knew a goalless draw would be enough to see them through.
The Moroccan club maintained a solid defensive shape knowing they carried enough threat up top to potentially punish Al Ahly on the counter attack. Wydad almost found the breakthrough in the 30th minute when Abdeladim Khadrouf’s attempted shot inside the penalty area hit the Al Ahly crossbar after taking a deflection.
Al Ahly’s best chance in the first half came in the 33rd minute when Momen Zakaria went one-on-one with Zouahir Laaroubi, but the goalkeeper made the crucial save.
Wydad head coach Lhoussaine Ammouta changed his tactics in the second half as his side maintained possession in their attacking half to minimise Al Ahly’s chances. Eventually, the tactics paid off as El Karti latched on to the end of Bencharki’s cross to put the result beyond doubt.
Wydad Casablanca now claim their place in the 2017 Fifa Club World Cup which is set to be staged in UAE from December 6-16th. They will face Pachuca of Mexico in the quarter-finals on December 9.
