Egyptian giants Zamalek have secured a place in the semifinals of the CAF Champions League after claiming a 1-0 home win over Nigeria’s Enyimba in a rescheduled Group B clash at the Petrosport Stadium in Cairo on Monday night.
With South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns having secured top spot in the three-team group with a game to spare, Zamalek and Enyimba met in what was effectively a quarterfinal.
The Egyptians came into the game with a notable advantage, both in hosting the clash and having beaten their Nigerian opponents 1-0 in Port Harcourt in the teams’ first group meeting back in June. This meant the White Knights only needed to avoid defeat to ensure progression.
In the end they went one better, with Bassem Morsi – the same scorer in Port Harcourt more than two months ago – once again haunting Enyimba by netting a 63rd minute goal from the penalty spot.
The result sees Zamalek complete their Group B matches and finish with six points from four outings. Enyimba are bottom of the standings with zero points and will end their participation in the tournament with a home match against Sundowns next midweek.
The Egyptians are likely to face current Group A leaders Wydad Casablanca in the semifinals, which will be played over two legs in September.
