Mamelodi Sundowns playing in front of hostile and full capacity Cairo International Stadium, have done the unthinkable, eliminating record Champions, Al Ahly in the return leg of a blockuster semi-final showdown.
The Brazilians and Al Ahly shared spoils in a 1-1 all draw, Sundowns progressing to the ultimate stage on away goals rule, having initially battled to a barren stalemate last week in Pretoria.
Sundowns tactician Miguel Cardoso made one change from the starting eleven that confronted Al Ahly in the first leg, Thapelo Morena coming in for Namibian International Peter Shaluile.
Al Ahly’s Marcel Koller, on the other hand, showed full confidence in his troops as he maintained the previous starting line-up on Friday evening.
The Egyptians backed by a vibrant home crowd, opened the scoring in the 24th minute, Taher Mohammed with a rocket strike that went past Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Ronwem Williams.
Sundowns restored stability in the next moments, dominating in terms of possession but were halted by defensive wall of the opponents, trailing 1-0 ahead of the break.
Al Ahly looking to head to another continental final, Sundowns urgency coupled with fresh legs paid off in the dying minutes, Yasser Ibrahim connected in his own net off Rayners’ shot.
The South African giants back in the finals for the first time since 2016 when they achieved success, will play the winner between Pyramids FC and Orlando Pirates who collide in the other semi-final.
