Nov 26: African Cup Winners Cup Final first leg
Zamalek (Egypt) - Canon Yaounde (Cameroon)  4:1 (final)
1805 GMT

Before the match:
After the CAF has decided that the second African team at the World Club Championships will be the winner of the Cup Winners Cup, this trophy has become even more valuable. The decision has its pros and cons. 
On one hand you will have a trophy winner to qualify and it will be one with a name of biggest reputation in African club competition history. No team has won more Champions League/Champions Cup trophies than this two (Zamalek 4, Canon 3).
On the other hand it will be a team which is far away from being the second best contemporary African club team: Zamalek has not won an Egyptian championship for years and the Egyptian champions have not made a Champions League final since 1996. Canon Yaounde is only an average midtable team from Cameroon and Cameroons club have made no impact at all in the Champions League this decade. The last Champions Cup title for them came 20 years ago. In the same time you will have one of the two finalists of the Champions League, Hearts Of Oak Accra or Esperance Tunis, miss out on the World Club Championships although they both seem to deserve to be there, considering the strength of their teams and their dominance in actual African football.
Zamalek looks to be the far stronger team, now leading the Egyptian league. They have been in the focus of international attention since the famous Hassan twins moved from local rivals Al Ahly. In the same time the long time club hero Sabry has lost his place in the formation of German coach Otto Pfister. A disadvantage might be that the twins are not legitimized to play in this competition for Zamalek this year.
Canon Yaounde, managed by 80's national team captain and hero Theophile Abega, is a club in chaos. They run out of money and the club administration retired earlier this year. But in the prospect of gaining international attention and European careers the players went on playing for nothing and came through to the finals where they now face a difficult uphill task. With the World Club Championships in the eye it means financially all or nothing.

1st half:
- Zamalek begins attacking right away and wants a penalty after 2 minutes but referee confirms: play on
- it looks like Cameroon Olympic coach Akono is helping  Canon on the bench?
- it is a fast start and Canon have their first attacking attempt after 5 minutes
- ('6) answered right away by a Zamalek attack with a dangerous breakthrough on the left hand side - goal keeper has difficulties with the sharp low cross but no striker is there to convert the deflected ball
- Canon seem to be willing to take the same risks as the Olympic team and attack with a lot of players which on the other side creates a lot of space for the Zamalek combinations. But the guests get rewarded:
- ('9) the Zamalek defence seems to be surprised by the number of attackers and does not attacke the players which come through the middle - a sudden sharp shot from 20 meters leaves the keeper no chance - 0:1
- ('13) Canon have Zamalek outnumbered on a counter attack again but unprecise passing spoils the opportunity
- ('14) Canon keeper seems to be a weak spot yet: again he has difficulties with a cross but the Cameroonians are lucky Zamalek can not profit
- ('15) this time he has a cross safe and makes a remarkable uick good throw to the midfield line to start a potential counter attack situation which fades eventually without effect
- ('20) Canon with a 20 meter shot wide
- ('20) Canon with a fast attack after conquering the ball in midfield, a difficult angle for #9 but he almost surprises the keeper with a rockt from 25 meters which the keeper has big diofficulties from preventing to cross the line
- the match must be a big surprise to Zamalek while canon have gained a lot of confidence, visible in one against one situations
- ('25) another dangerous shot by Canon from outside the penalty area misses the goal only by a half meter.
- ('27) Zamalek attack: a long cross from the right to the left hand side is headed back into the center and another header leaves no chance for the keeper - 1:1 (Hossam Abdel Minim)
- ('28) a perfect example for the words momentum and confidence: Zamalek reattack right away: a quick one-two, a player is through, the keeper comes out, the player falls - penalty and red card for the keeper, which seems a bit much because the striker seem to have 'helped the development' a bit by accepting to fall quite easily (difficult to tell)
- ('32) it has taken some minutes until a new keeper is brought in - he is sent into the wrong corner - 2:1 (Tarek El Saeed)
- ('38) big opportunity for Canon: A weak shot by #9 tuirnes into a perfect surprise through ball for #14 who gets it before the keeper who has come out but it rolls wide left
- Canon, not shocked, continue to attack despite one man down and struck by two goals in 5 minutes-  like seen from the Cameroon team at the Olympics
- (41) a Cameroon defender casually gives away the ball in build up but the new keeper saves the 20 meter shot - he yet looks good at crosses and is able to kick the ball deep
- ('injury time) Zamalek: a diagonal cross from the left hand side confuses the entire Canon defence and sets a player totally free at the second goal post 5 meters to the goal - but he heads wide
- ('injury time) the next Zamalek attack is dangerous, too, then it's halftime 

halftime 2:1

2nd half:
-('47)  the second half begins with a scare for Canon when the (substitute) keeper Manga goes for a cross, has it, but then collides with a Zamalek attacker
- it looks like a concussion and he gets treated for 3 minutes before he plays on - he cannot get substituted by another keeper anymore, he is already the replacement
-('51) huge opportunity for Zamalek when they exploit the offered spaces on a fast breakthrough attack - but it is squandered by a shot wide from a difficult angle
-('52) no counter attack this time but a successful attempt against a normally crowded defence: a one-two outplays the entire defence and from 10 meters a player scores by a low shot - 3:1 (Basouny)
-('60) for some minutes now Canon have dominated the match - a consequence from Zamalek now plays drawn back and luring for counter attacks
-('64) Zamalek want a penalty after an error by a defender triggered a dangerous situation - maybe there was too much playacting added and the referee refuses
-('65) Canon: a dangerous low shot wide
-('68) Zamalek: showcase save against an artistic Zamalek shot
-('71) Zamalek is only centimeters away from a fourth goal after a fast attack takes apart the Canon defence on the verge of offside
-('72) an even greater opportunity for Zamalek on a fast break but two players cannot get past the keeper
-('75) Zamalek #16 from 7 meters right into the arms of the keeper
-Canon have lost their impact on the match and it is easy for Zamalek to exploit the offered opportunities - but scoring is their problem now, untiL:
-('78) a long deep ball into the Canon half where it is directly lobbed over the running out keeper - 4:1
-Canon keep on their now unsinspired attacking attempts and exposing themselves by losing the balls in midfield triggering counter attacks in which they become outnumbereed
-Canon have had only one clearcut chance since Zamalek have stabilised their defending
-('injury time) half chances for both across the goals

final score: 4:1
Zamalek has not convinced 100 % and Canon has not disappointed. The clear result is rather a consequence from the risky style of the Cameroonian game: Where the national team had luck at the Olympics it turned against Canon here. Those two faces belong to the same coin, they have to accept such bitter defeats for surprise visctories. The Canon game, supported by the coaching of Olympic hero Akono, was designed to have a match of goals rather than a narrow result. Now it will be a hard task in the return match as it seemed that the team does not have the means to crack a crowded defence. Zamalek, surprised by that attitude, was lucky that the match had such a dramatic momentum swift in the shock 5 minutes when the match turned in the first half.

Canon Yaounde (Cameroon) - Zamalek (Egypt)  2:0  (final)   (first leg 1:4)
 
1st half:
- a bumpy ground, Canon in red, Zamalek in white
- Canon, a club in financial and administrative difficulties, need to win by three goals at least
- national coach Akono who has tried to help has complained about lack of cooperation
- Zamalek has to play without their prominant new players, the Hassan twins from local rivals Al Ahly, which can not be fielded in this years competition for Zamalek anymore
- winner will play at the World Club Championships next year

- match begins much slower than first leg, two scenes for the Egyptian keeper in first 20 minutes, one chance for Zamalek
- Zamalek play drawn into their own half luring for counter attacks but Canon try a very controlled but slow build up which on one hand fails to get them through the Egyptian rows, on the other hand prevents them from exposure to the Zamalek counter play
- ('31) suddenly Canon get a chance for a fast break and a shot from half left misses the goal only by a close margin
- ('42) a good chance for Zamalek put Canon keeper is well positioned against the short distance attempt from half left.
- the match is more lively now, Canon try a good corner kick move but the cross eventually is harmless
- ('45) a Canon shot from a good position, only 12 meters to the goal, misses only by a meter wide left, this would have been an important goal

halftime 0:0

2nd half:
- ('46) Canon have a chance right away burt the Egyptian keeper is more alert than his defenders
- ('53) a Zamalek defender clears a header off the line for his beaten keeper
- ('61) the match is marred by the bumpy ground which knocks fast attacks out of balance and helps the defences, but this time it provokes an error in the Canon build up and a quick through ball sees an Egyptian attacker all alone in front of the keeper. But from 12 meters he shoves the ball wide left
- ('67) Canon play it faster now and have another chance after a sharp cross from the right hand side
- ('70) a free kick cross, the Zamalek offside trap fails, but a defender is back just in time to keep a striker from a clear attempt at the goal
- Zamalek play it too defensive, it reminds at the Al Ahly match at Hearts Of Oak, only here Canon needs 3 goals - which should be too much
- ('72) and here is the goal: a low shot from more than 20 meters into the corner, keeper without a chance - 1:0
- ('74) another chance for Canon after a corner, a defender scratches the ball off the line 
- ('80) after having pressured the Zamalek goal for minutes, Canon have started to become too hectical in their attempts and Zamalek can breath now and even run a one man counter attack which fades by a shot wide
- ('83) Zamalek waste a very good counter opportunity (three against one) as Canon start to expose their defence and don't run back
- ('86) counter opportunities become much more frequent now as Canon play becomes more desperate and less contemplated, but Zamalek do not achieve to score the goal, at least this time it is a shot on the goal which the keeper taps over the bar 
- ('90) a desperate distant shot hits the goal post and dances along the line - a striker is fastest and Canon score - 2:0
-('injury time) Zamalek nervous, a short from half right, a defender throws himself in and deflects for a corner
-('injury time) another corner and more confuson in Zamalek penalty area, but they survive - the match is over

final score 2:0 - Zamalek have won the African Cup Winners Cup
Canon have played two brave matches to their standards while Zamalek has not entirely convinced: they profited from the run of play and risky tactics of their opponents in the first match and did almost nothing themselves in the second. Anyway they scored 4 goals and should be even stronger with the Hassan twins.