Pitso Mosimane and Al Ahly have taken a huge step towards the CAF Champions League final after beating Esperance away from home.
The game had to be delayed by an hour after police fired tear gas at Esperance fans during the warm-up.
Both sets of players were struggling to breath and headed back into dressing rooms. However, South African referee Victor Gomes started the game at 19:00, one hour delayed.
Al Ahly had their first shot on target in the 17th minute, following a short free-kick routine but Mohamed Sherif’s attempt was saved.
Al Ahly had the ball in the back of the net a few minutes later, but Sherif was ruled offside after VAR check.
El Shenawy denied Esperance the opener with a superb save in the 34th minute, taking the ball off the foot of their forward.
A bit later, William Togui had a decent chance for Esperance just before the break but Al Ahly managed to block his shot inside the box.
Both sides entered the break all square, with Al Ahly having slightly more possession than the home side.
Taher Mohamed missed a glorious opportunity to score for Al Ahly in the 53rd minute after finding himself unmarked at the far post but his volley hit the side net.
Al Ahly had another chance to score in the 61st minute when Sherif found himself free in front of the Esperance keeper following a corner but he struggled to control his attempt.
Sherif eventually opened the score-line in the 65th minute after scoring from a rebound off the post.
Esperance tried to put pressure on Al Ahly but the defending champions hardly let them create any decent chances as they saw out the game.
