USM Alger defeated Zamalek 8-7 on penalties in Cairo to win the CAF Confederation Cup after a 1-1 aggregate draw.
USM Alger won the CAF Confederation Cup after beating Zamalek 8-7 on penalties in Egypt, after the two-legged final ended 1-1 on aggregate.
Zamalek won the second leg 1-0 through an early Oday Dabbagh penalty, but the result only cancelled out USM Alger’s 1-0 first-leg win in Algiers. The final then went directly to penalties, where the Algerian side converted all eight attempts.
Dabbagh gave Zamalek the lead in the fifth minute after Adam Kaied won a penalty inside the opening stages. Mohamed Ismail then had a goal ruled out for offside in the 14th minute, denying Zamalek a second goal that would have put them ahead in the tie.
Zamalek goalkeeper El Mahdi Soliman later left the match injured, with Mohamed Awad replacing him just 30 minutes after kickoff. USM Alger pushed for an equalizer after the break, while Zamalek defended their lead and tried to hold the aggregate score.
In the shootout, Zamalek scored their first seven penalties before Mohamed Shehata sent the eighth over the crossbar. USM Alger scored the following kick to seal the title.
The result gave USM Alger their second CAF Confederation Cup title after their 2023 triumph. It also handed Zamalek their first defeat in a continental final penalty shootout after seven previous wins.
USM Alger had taken control of the tie in the first leg when Ahmed Khaldi scored a 98th-minute penalty in Algiers, moments after VAR disallowed a Zamalek goal and awarded the Algerian side a spot kick.