The Cairo giants qualified to this stage thanks to the away goal rule after their 2-2 away draw on Friday.
Mahmoud “Kahraba” Abdel-Moneim scored in the 76th minute to cancel out Sadio Kanoute’s opener 8 minutes earlier.
Ahly now have their eyes turn on the tie between Sundowns and Petro Atletico as they will play the winner between them on Sunday.
However, Ahly’s Mahmoud ‘Kahraba’ Abdel-Moneim redeemed himself for previous misses by scoring the equalizer in the 76th minute, securing the draw for his team.
The Red Devils started the game strongly, applying pressure and seeking an early goal, as their rivals sat back on defence.
Kahraba, Mohamed “Afsha” Magdi and Hussein El Shahat squandered several scoring opportunities.
In the 24th minute, Ahly thought they had taken the lead when Kahraba found the back of the net with his left foot off a cross from Percy Tau, but it was ruled out for offside.
Simba had their first sight of goal midway through the first half when Denis Kibu was sent clear by John Bocco but goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy came out quickly to stop the danger.
The second half saw a shift in momentum as Simba turned their fortunes around and stunned the hosts with a goal in the 68th minute when Kanoute found the back of the net after Clatous Chama connected with defender Shomari Kapombe’s cross with a header.
Kahraba restored parity eight minutes later with a close-range finish after a cut-back pass from Ali Maaloul.
In the remaining minutes, Ahly’s defence successfully contained Simba’s attacks, securing their passage to the next round.
Egypt and Africa Champions Ahly advanced to the African Football League semi-finals, despite being held to a 1-1 draw at home against Tanzania’s Simba on Tuesday.
-Ahram
