Mamelodi Sundowns welcomed Egyptian giants Al Ahly to Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria for the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final on Saturday afternoon.
The match ended goalless after 90 minutes.
The second and deciding leg will take place next Friday, 25 April in Cairo at 18:00 (SA time).
The Brazilians are looking to qualify for their first CAF Champions League final since they lifted the trophy back in 2016.
Reaching the final will require a top performance against their Egyptian opponents who are the tournament’s defending champions.
TEAMS
Mamelodi Sundowns
Williams, Mudau, Kekana, Lebusa, Modiba, Mokoena, Allende, Adams, Ribeiro, Matthews, Shalulile
Substitutes: Onyango, Suarez, Mdunyelwa, Tiwani, Mkhulise, Aubaas, Sales, Zwane, Rayners
Al Ahly
El Shenawy, Rabia, Yasser, Dari, Hany, El Aash, Marawan, Ahmed Reda, Emam, Taher, Gradisar
Substitutes: Shobeir, Kamal, El-Solia, Afsha, Tawfik, Koka, Nedved, El Shahat, Bencharki
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso is adamant his side can get past the Egyptian giants.
“We know that Al Ahly in the last seven years have won a lot of Champions League titles. Last year, I unfortunately lost in the final against them, but I think beating them is a possibility,” Cardoso told the club’s official website.
“We will, however, need to make two very complete games, two strong games that will be played on the details. So, Sundowns will need to be strong and prepare ourselves in the best way possible.”
Will Mamelodi Sundowns find a way to reach the final?
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