Al Ittihad are the first Libyan side to reach the semis of the Champs Lge

Champions League holders Ahly of Egypt beat Asec Mimosas 2-0 to reach the semi-finals of this year's tournament.

Sudanese side Al Hilal also reached the last four with a 1-1 draw at Esperance to clinch the second spot in group B.

Surprise packets Al-Ittihad of Libya outclassed Champions League group A winners Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia 2-0 on Saturday to join them in the semi-finals.

Ittihad triumphed via goals from regular marksmen Younis al-Shibani and Salem al-Raweni in Tripoli.

They become the first Libyan qualifiers for the penultimate phase of the 11-year competition.

Central defender Al-Shibani headed Ittihad in front off a 13th-minute corner amid wild celebrations among a near-capacity crowd at the 65,000-seat June 11 Stadium.

And Al-Raweni claimed his seventh Champions League goal this year by calmly slotting a 58th-minute penalty into the net as stand-in Etoile goalkeeper Nadim Thabet dived the wrong way.

Ittihad toyed with understrength Etoile in the closing stages and when the Togolese referee blew for full-time, fireworks lit the night sky over the Mediterranean city.

Few Libyan football supporters could have imagined three months ago that such an occasion would arise as twice runners-up Etoile and former champions JS Kabylie of Algeria and FAR Rabat of Morocco were considered stronger sides.

But a skilful, workmanlike Ittihad team coached by Serb Branko Smiljanic began with a 1-0 home win over Kabylie followed by a shock 0-0 draw at Etoile and retained second place throughout the six-round series.

Etoile finished with 11 points, Ittihad 10, Kabylie seven and FAR with five.

FAR and Kayblie drew 1-1 at the same time in Rabat with Mounir Benkassou converting a 22nd-minute penalty for the Moroccan armed forces club and Mohamed Derrag snatching an 85th-minute equaliser with a close-range shot.