Pyramids survive tense finish to be crowned African champions
JOHANNESBURG: Pyramids of Egypt survived late pressure to beat Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa 2-1 in Cairo on Sunday and win the CAF Champions League for the first time. Competing in the premier African club competition for only the second time, Pyramids triumphed 3-2 on aggregate after the first leg was drawn 1-1 in Pretoria last weekend. Fiston Mayele scored after 23 minutes and Ahmed Samy on 56 minutes for the Egyptian outfit before Iqraam Rayners reduced the arrears in the 75th minute. Listless for much of the match, Sundowns pressed in the closing stages, but the second goal that would have given them overall victory on away goals proved elusive. Pleas by Pyramids, who normally attract crowds of just a few thousand, for support led to their 30,000-seat stadium being about half full for the second leg. Both clubs made one change to the first-leg starting line-ups last weekend in Pretoria, where Walid el Karti headed an added-time equalizer after Lucas Ribeiro gave Sundowns an early second half lead. Pyramids coach Krunoslav Jurcic, a former Croatia midfielder, dropped forward Ibrahim Adel, scorer of six goals en route to the final, and promoted ex-English Premier League forward Ramadan Sobhi. Sundowns’ Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso left out Brazilian forward Arthur Sales and gave a starting place to midfielder Jayden Adams. Cardoso is only the second coach after Argentine Oscar Fullone to reach consecutive Champions League finals with different clubs. Fullone, who died in 2017 aged 78, guided ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast in 1998 and Raja Casablanca of Morocco the following year to victory in finals of the premier African club competition. Cardoso took Esperance of Tunisia to the 2024 final, which they lost