The first leg of the African Champions League final between Wydad Casablanca and Espérance de Tunis ended in a 1-1 draw on Friday in Morocco.
Fousseny Coulibaly put the Blood and Gold ahead shortly before halftime, converting a well-placed free kick from Chammam. The lead, however, proved temporary as Wydad faced adversity early in the second half. Captain Nakkach was sent off in the 50th minute, leaving the home side with ten men for much of the match.
Despite being a man down, Wydad showed resilience and fought back to equalize in the 79th minute, with Cheick Ibrahim Comara finding the net. The draw leaves the tie finely balanced heading into the return leg in Radès next week, where Wydad will face a challenging task against the defending champions Espérance de Tunis.
