CAFCC Final: RS Berkane Beat Zamalek In First Leg

CAFCC Final: RS Berkane Beat Zamalek In First Leg

By Admin

A week ahead of their return to Egypt, Morocco’s Renaissance Berkane defeated Cairo’s powerhouse Zamalek 2-1 in the first leg of the African Confederation Cup final at the Municipal Stadium on Sunday.

The home team got off to a fantastic start as captain Issoufou Dayo converted a penalty kick in the 13th minute.

Adil Tahif then scored a second goal in the 32nd minute, beating custodian Mohamed Awad with a header at the back post.

However, Zamalek, who defeated Berkane on penalties in the Confederation Cup final five years prior, scored a potentially crucial away goal two minutes into the second half when Seifeddine Jaziri headed in a cross from Ahmed Zizo.

In the 62nd minute, Youssef Mehri’s attempt went narrowly over the bar, giving Berkane a chance to tie the score at two goals again.

Berkane, the winners of the secondary club competition on the continent in 2020 and 2022, will be looking for a third victory in Cairo on Sunday for the return leg.

The Moroccan team defeated champs USM Alger in a contentious semifinal match to get to the championship game.

Due to a diplomatic controversy, neither leg of the tie was played while Berkane’s shirt included a map of Morocco that included the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which Algeria does not recognise.

When Berkane travelled for the first leg last month, Algerian immigration confiscated their equipment, and they declined to play.

The Confederation of African Football’s disciplinary committee gave them a 3-0 victory.

The return match was later played in Morocco, but USM Alger was disqualified because they would not come out of their changing rooms at the scheduled start time.

Despite taking the issue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, they were unable to stop the first leg of the final on Sunday.