Why Percy Tau is key to Ahly’s CAF Champions League survival
Bafana Bafana star Percy Tau could very well hold the key to Egyptian giants Al Ahly’s survival hopes in the CAF Champions League.
The record champions Ahly are currently in real danger of missing out on qualification for the knockout stages.
They are third in the tightly contested Group B with four points. This is after four matches, having only won once, drew once and lost twice.
Their recent defeat was a painful 5-2 thumping at the hands of Tau’s former team Mamelodi Sundowns. In that match, Tau was one of Ahly’s brightest sparks. The Witbank-born star showed why he might be the player that holds the key to their survival hopes.
He scored the second goal in what was eventually an annihilation at the hands of the 2016 champions, Downs.
His return to form has come at a crucial time, given the Cairo giants have little room for error.
Al Ahly legend Wael Gomaa ON PERCY TAU
So impressive was Tau in his side’s last match that Al Ahly legend Wael Gomaa couldn’t help but single him out as the Red Devils’ top performer.
“This is the first time I watched Al Ahly losing a game and just wished the referee would blow his whistle to end the game before full-time,” Gomaa told beIN Sports.
“The only one fighting for the ball was Percy Tau. But there are so many mistakes, and the board did not back the manager with enough signings.
“There are players who play every week at this club and don’t deserve their spot. [It’s] because there’s no competition in this team.”
Tau will be the key man when Marcel Koller’s side face Coton Sport on Friday. It’s a must-win encounter away from home at the Roumdé Adjia Stadium in Garoua, Cameroon.
The Lion of Judah, as Tau is affectionately known, will be highly motivated after he was likely one of the first names on Hugo Broos’ Bafana squad.
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