Mamelodi Sundowns will need to defy the odds in Cairo on Sunday night as they face Pyramids FC in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final.
The first leg at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria saw Sundowns appear to be edging toward control of the tie thanks to a Lucas Ribeiro strike, but a dramatic late equaliser by Walid El Karti earned the Egyptian side a crucial 1-1 away draw. With the away goals rule in effect, Pyramids now hold a slight advantage heading into the return leg on home soil.
The equation is clear: Pyramids will be crowned African champions if they win or hold Sundowns to a goalless draw, while the South African giants must score at least once to stay alive. A 1-1 draw would take the match to penalties, while a scoring draw of 2-2 or higher, or an outright win, would hand Sundowns their second Champions League title, following their 2016 triumph.
Pyramids coach Krunoslav Jurisic praised his side’s resilience after the first leg but insisted the job is far from done.
“I am very proud of my team’s performance against a big team like Sundowns,” he said. “We played a very strong match and were the better side for most of it. If it weren’t for bad luck, we would have scored more goals.
“But we’ve only finished the first half of the battle. We must now win in Cairo to secure the precious title.”
The Egyptian club is chasing their first-ever continental title and will be backed by a passionate home crowd as they look to etch their name in African football history.
Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso, meanwhile, remains optimistic despite the uphill task ahead.
“We need mental strength because everything is still open. Pyramids know that too,” Cardoso said. “We will play the same way we always do – with intensity, structure, and belief. We must score, and even if they score first, we will keep fighting.
“Heroes emerge in difficult times – it’s easy to be a hero in good times.”
This will be the fourth meeting between the clubs, with Sundowns holding a slight edge. Aside from last weekend’s draw, they met twice in the 2023/24 group stage, drawing 0-0 in Pretoria and winning 1-0 in Cairo, courtesy of a Teboho Mokoena strike.
This year’s final also marks the fifth time an Egyptian and South African club have met in a CAF Champions League final. Egyptian sides have come out on top three times, but Sundowns were responsible for the only South African triumph – a 3-1 aggregate win over Zamalek in 2016.
Now, Cardoso’s men will need to summon that same historic spirit if they are to break Pyramids’ momentum and lift Africa’s most coveted club trophy once again.