The 2020 CAF Champions League Final, known as The Final of the Century[5][6] was the final of the 2019–20 CAF Champions League, the 56th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 24th edition under the current CAF Champions League title.
| Event | 2019–20 CAF Champions League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 27 November 2020 | ||||||
| Venue | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Mohamed Magdy (Al-Ahly)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 0[3] | ||||||
| Weather | Haze 17 °C (63 °F) 72% humidity[4] | ||||||
For the first time, the final was played as a single match at a venue pre-selected by CAF.[7] It was originally scheduled to be played on 29 May 2020 at the Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon.[8] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the match was postponed and Cameroon decided to withdraw from hosting. Instead, the final was played on 27 November 2020 at the Cairo International Stadium in Cairo, Egypt.[9]
The final featured two Egyptian clubs, Al-Ahly and Zamalek, which made this the first CAF Champions League final to feature two clubs from the same country, as well as the first final to feature two clubs from the same city. As Al-Ahly and Zamalek were also Egypt's most successful clubs both in domestic and international competitions and share an intense rivalry, the final between two teams was considered as the most important game to have ever been played between two clubs.[10]
Al-Ahly defeated Zamalek and won 2–1, winning their record-extending ninth title and their first since 2013. They also earned the right to play against the 2019–20 CAF Confederation Cup winners RS Berkane in the 2020–21 CAF Super Cup, and qualified for the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar.
Teams
In the following table, finals until 1996 were in the African Cup of Champions Club era, since 1997 were in the CAF Champions League era.
| Team | Zone | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|---|
 Zamalek | UNAF (North Africa) | 7 (1984, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2002, 2016) |
| Al Ahly | UNAF (North Africa) | 12 (1982, 1983, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018) |
Venue
Original host selection
The CAF Executive Committee decided in June 2019 that the final would be played as a single match. Three member associations submitted bids during the period of 11–20 February 2020:[11]
The CAF Emergency Committee made the final decision on 12 March 2020, and Japoma Stadium, Douala was officially announced as the final venue on 16 March 2020.[8]
| Country | Stadium | City | Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cameroon | Japoma Stadium | Douala | 50,000 | |
 Morocco | Stade Mohammed V | Casablanca | 67,000 | Hosted the 1988 African Cup of Nations Final |
 Tunisia | Stade Hammadi Agrebi | Radès | 60,000 | Hosted the 2004 African Cup of Nations Final |
Postponement and relocation
On 18 April 2020, the CAF announced that the final had been postponed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
In July, the Cameroonian Football Federation announced that they had withdrawn from hosting the final.[13]
On 3 August 2020, the CAF announced that the final would be played on 16 or 17 October 2020. It would be played in Egypt if both semi-finalists from Egypt, Al-Ahly and Zamalek, reached the final, or in Morocco if both semi-finalists from Morocco, Raja Casablanca and Wydad Casablanca, reached the final. If one team from Egypt and one team from Morocco reached the final, it was initially decided that the final would be played in a neutral country.[14]
On 10 September 2020, the CAF announced that at the request of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the final was rescheduled to 6 November 2020.[15]
It was later decided that if the final were between a team from Egypt and a team from Morocco, the final would be played in either Egypt or Morocco, to be decided by a draw, which was held on 16 October 2020 in Casablanca, Morocco prior to the semi-final first legs, and the country drawn was Egypt.[16]
Egypt was confirmed as the host country of the final after Al-Ahly eliminated Wydad Casablanca in the semi-final and reached the final on 23 October 2020.
The semi-final second leg between Zamalek and Raja Casablanca was postponed due to Raja Casablanca being required by Moroccan authorities to self-isolate until 27 October after eight players testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, with the total number of cases increasing to fourteen the following day, and as a result, the CAF announced on 30 October 2020 that the final was further postponed to 27 November 2020.[9]
Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria was initially announced as the final venue, but it was decided in early November to relocate the match to Cairo International Stadium, Cairo due to expected heavy rains.[17]
On 25 November 2020, the CAF and the Egyptian Football Association confirmed the final would be played behind closed doors.[3]
Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| Zamalek | Round | Al Ahly | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Qualifying rounds | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
 Dekedaha | 13–0 | 7–0 (A) | 6–0 (H) | Preliminary round |  Atlabara | 13–0 | 4–0 (A) | 9–0 (H) |
 Génération Foot | 2–2 (a) | 1–2 (A) | 1–0 (H) | First round |  Cano Sport | 6–0 | 2–0 (A) | 4–0 (H) |
| Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | ||||
 TP Mazembe | 0–3 (A) | Matchday 1 | Étoile du Sahel | 0–1 (A) | ||||
 1º de Agosto | 2–0 (H) | Matchday 2 |  Al-Hilal | 2–1 (H) | ||||
 ZESCO United | 1–1 (A) | Matchday 3 |  FC Platinum | 1–0 (H) | ||||
| ZESCO United | 2–0 (H) | Matchday 4 | FC Platinum | 1–1 (A) | ||||
| TP Mazembe | 0–0 (H) | Matchday 5 | Étoile du Sahel | 1–0 (H) | ||||
| 1º de Agosto | 0–0 (A) | Matchday 6 | Al-Hilal | 1–1 (A) | ||||
| Group A runners-up | Final standings | Group B runners-up | ||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout stage | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Espérance de Tunis | 3–2 | 3–1 (H) | 0–1 (A) | Quarter-finals |  Mamelodi Sundowns | 3–1 | 2–0 (H) | 1–1 (A) |
| Raja CA | 4–1 | 1–0 (A) | 3–1 (H) | Semi-finals | Wydad AC | 5–1 | 2–0 (A) | 3–1 (H) |
Format
The final was played as a single match at a pre-selected venue, with the winner of semi-final 1 according to the knockout stage draw designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes. If scores were level after full time, extra time was not to be played and the winner was to be decided by a penalty shoot-out (Regulations Article III. 28).[18]
Officials
On 26 November 2020, CAF named Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal as the referee for the match. Ghorbal had been a FIFA referee since 2014 and officiated two fixtures in the CAF Champions League during the 2019–20 season, including a match for Zamalek against Espérance de Tunis in the quarter-finals, which was won by the latter 1–0 thanks to a penalty. His compatriots Abdelhak Etchiali and Mokrane Gourari were chosen as the assistant referees, while Janny Sikazwe of Zambia was chosen as the fourth official. Moroccan referee Redouane Jiyed was named the video assistant referee, but his assistants were not announced prior to the match.[2]
A few hours before the start of the match, CAF announced that Redouane Jiyed had tested positive for COVID-19 and was excluded from the final as a result. Janny Sikazwe, who was originally appointed as the fourth official, was given the role of the video assistant referee, while Egyptian referee Ibrahim Nour El Din was named the new fourth official for the match.[19] The identity of the assistant video assistant referees was still known at this time.
Match
Summary
El Solia opened the scoring for Al Ahly in the 5th minute with a downward header from four yards out a corner on the right. Shikabala equalized for Zamalek in the 31st minute when he cut in from the right before shooting left-footed form the edge of the penalty area to the top left corner of the net past Mohamed El Shenawy who did not move.[20]Magdy got the winning goal for Al Ahly in the 86th minute when he controlled the ball on his knee after it was cleared by Mahmoud Alaa, before volleying to the right corner of the net with his right foot from outside the penalty area.[21]
Details
        Zamalek |     Al Ahly |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[2] | Match rules[18]
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Statistics
See also
Notes
References
External links
- Total CAF Champions League, CAFonline.com