Wydad Casablanca of Morocco defeated South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in the first leg of the inaugural African Football League (AFL) final in the iconic Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca on Sunday.
An own goal from Rivaldo Coetzee and a superb late strike by Anas Serrhat gave the Moroccan giants the advantage to take into next week’s second-leg decider at Sundowns’ Loftus Versfeld Stadium next Sunday.
Sundowns fought back in the second half when Abdelmonem Boutouil converted a 74th-minute penalty after Yahya Jebran’s handball. But Wydad swiftly restored their lead as Serrhat rifled an unstoppable long-range drive beyond Ronwen Williams.
Last Wednesday, Wydad Casablanca beat Esperance of Tunisia 5-4 on penalties to reach the AFL final after both teams were locked on 1-1 on aggregate, while Mamelodi Sundowns booked their place with a 1-0 aggregate win over Al Ahly of Egypt.
The AFL inaugural champions will receive the $4 million prize money.
