I happen to be in this neck of the woods, so got caught up in the excitement of the CAF Champions League Final.Futitser:
The final was played at the Mohamed V stadium in Casablanca, and pitted local outfit Wydad against perennial CAF powerhouse Al Ahly. In terms of TransferMarkt values, we are talking about two teams equivalent to roughy mid-table in Serie B.
Anyway, great atmosphere at the Mohamed V. I'm not sure exactly what CAF's ticket allocation policy was for this match, but...ehm... there wasn't exactly a massive representation of traveling fans. Basically a home match for Wydad, and they made it feel that way.
Wydad took the lead early in the first half with a stunning (i.e., low xG) strike for El-Moutaraji. El-Moutaraji then made it 2 at the beginning of the second half, taking advantage of some Alexander-Arnoldesque defending at the back post. Al Ahly had a couple of good chances to at least make it interesting, but it was not to be, and the time-wasting tactics by Wydad towards the end were maybe too much even for this cynical observer. (Loved the goalkeeper diving on every shot, even if wide of the mark by several meters, and then claiming to have pulled a muscle and requiring medical attention... this started around the 75th minute).
The Moroccans I was watching the match with all seemed very happy with the result. I asked them if they were actually Wydad fans, or they were just happy to see a Moroccan team win. Apparently, the latter. Go figure...
I happen to be in this neck of the woods, so got caught up in the excitement of the CAF Champions League Final.Nice report, good to get an insight into CAF club football.
The final was played at the Mohamed V stadium in Casablanca, and pitted local outfit Wydad against perennial CAF powerhouse Al Ahly. In terms of TransferMarkt values, we are talking about two teams equivalent to roughy mid-table in Serie B.
Anyway, great atmosphere at the Mohamed V. I'm not sure exactly what CAF's ticket allocation policy was for this match, but...ehm... there wasn't exactly a massive representation of traveling fans. Basically a home match for Wydad, and they made it feel that way.
Wydad took the lead early in the first half with a stunning (i.e., low xG) strike for El-Moutaraji. El-Moutaraji then made it 2 at the beginning of the second half, taking advantage of some Alexander-Arnoldesque defending at the back post. Al Ahly had a couple of good chances to at least make it interesting, but it was not to be, and the time-wasting tactics by Wydad towards the end were maybe too much even for this cynical observer. (Loved the goalkeeper diving on every shot, even if wide of the mark by several meters, and then claiming to have pulled a muscle and requiring medical attention... this started around the 75th minute).
The Moroccans I was watching the match with all seemed very happy with the result. I asked them if they were actually Wydad fans, or they were just happy to see a Moroccan team win. Apparently, the latter. Go figure...
I happen to be in this neck of the woods, so got caught up in the excitement of the CAF Champions League Final.
The final was played at the Mohamed V stadium in Casablanca, and pitted local outfit Wydad against perennial CAF powerhouse Al Ahly. In terms of TransferMarkt values, we are talking about two teams equivalent
to roughy mid-table in Serie B.
Anyway, great atmosphere at the Mohamed V. I'm not sure exactly what CAF's ticket allocation policy was for this match, but...ehm... there wasn't exactly a massive representation of traveling fans. Basically a home
match for Wydad, and they made it feel that way.
Wydad took the lead early in the first half with a stunning (i.e., low xG) strike for El-Moutaraji. El-Moutaraji then made it 2 at the beginning of the second half, taking advantage of some Alexander-Arnoldesque
defending at the back post. Al Ahly had a couple of good chances to at least make it interesting, but it was not to be, and the time-wasting tactics by Wydad towards the end were maybe too much even for this
cynical observer. (Loved the goalkeeper diving on every shot, even if wide of the mark by several meters, and then claiming to have pulled a muscle and requiring medical attention... this started around the 75th
minute).
The Moroccans I was watching the match with all seemed very happy with the result. I asked them if they were actually Wydad fans, or they were just happy to see a Moroccan team win. Apparently, the latter. Go
figure...
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