CAF Confederation Cup: OCS draw Wydad to eliminate tournament favorites

A stunning late strike from substitute Moussa Koné lifted Olympique Club de Safi (OCS) to a shock 2-2 draw over hosts and fellow Moroccan club Wydad AC, securing a semifinal place at the CAF Confederation Cup for the visitors via the away goals rule at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.

Despite a brave performance in the 1-1 first leg draw at home, little was expected of OCS against the famous stars of Wydad after the latter club secured an away goal. Considering the fact that OCS remain at the bottom of the table in Morocco’s top flight Botola Pro, it was a “David vs Goliath” duel at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.

But the visitors continued to show a different face in continental competition. After experiencing some early pressure, the match changed dramatically in the 24th minute when the Sharks got behind the Wydad defense. Imad Khannouss was played in on goal and got around Wydad goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid before being tripped up just outside the penalty area.

After being initally issued a yellow card, the goalkeeper was given a red card and his marching orders after VAR determined that Benabid denied a clear goal scoring opportunity.

And concerns from the home supporters turned into further anxiety when backup keeper Abdelali Mhamdi was caught in possession in his box. After tripping up a pressing attacker, the veteran shot stopper had no chance when captain Sofiane El Moudane stepped up to convert his spot kick.

But the hosts showed resilience and continued to look a bit more dangerous. A crucial moment arrived at the end of first half stoppage time when Mohamed Moufid ran onto a flicked header from Hamza Hannouri and did excellently to finish past Sharks goalkeeper Hamza Hamiani, leaving the teams completely level at a 2-2 aggregate score.

The red card left WAC unable to utilize their superior talent, even with the introduction of former Morocco national team star Hakim Ziyech at halftime. The second half proceeded with more tension than action, with extra time looking likely.

WAC left to blame themselves for shock CAF Confederation Cup exit

But a series of errors from the hosts set the stage for a massive upset. Ziyech forfeited possession of the ball following a corner kick and the visitors ran off on a counter-attack. The attack appeared to be halted but poor control by a defender allowed OCS to regain possession before Salaheddine Errahouli set up Ivorian striker Koné for a routine finish.

Ziyech provided a moment of magic from a free kick to level the aggregate score at 3-3 in second half stoppage time. However, OCS’ two away goals allowed them to hold on and advance despite the final push from the favorites in front of a stunned home support.

Olympic Club Safi are off to the #TotalEnergiesCAFCC semis! 👏 pic.twitter.com/jzYR7qqNta

— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) March 22, 2026

OCS’ continental dream continues in the semifinals, where they will face Algeria’s USM Alger beginning with the first leg on April 12.