Two sublime second-half goals from Omar El-Said and Youssef Ibrahim lifted Egypt’s Zamalek to the African Confederation Cup group stage following a 3-1 home win over Morocco’s Ittihad Tanger on Saturday.
After last week’s playoff first-leg ended goalless on the road, it looked a straightforward task for Zamalek to go through before their enthusiastic fans at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadium but Tanger made life hard for them.
The Cairo giants looked on course for a comfortable win when winger Ibrahim Hassan put them ahead on the stroke of halftime but a fierce drive from Nouaman Aarab early in the second half put Tanger in the driving seat on the aggregate score.
However, a brilliant acrobatic effort from lone striker El-Said and a solo goal from deep-lying forward Ibrahim ensured Zamalek’s progress to the group stage as they chase their first-ever Confederation Cup title.
The draw for the competition’s group stage will take place on Monday.
