Sundowns qualify for Champions League final with aggregate win over Al Ahly

Mamelodi Sundowns will play in their third Caf Champions League final after they played to a 1-1 draw with Al Ahly in the semifinal at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday night.

Al Ahly looked destined for their sixth successive final after Taher Mohamed gave them the lead after 24 minutes but an own goal from Yasser Ibrahim in the dying minutes of regulation time saw the Brazilians go through on away goals.

The first leg ended 0-0 at Loftus last weekend and this 1-1 draw, that produced another major VAR talking point, was enough for Sundowns to qualify for their first final since they won it in 2016.

This result also means the possibility of an all South African final is alive with Orlando Pirates away to Pyramids FC in the other semifinal that kicked off late on Friday.

It also means Sundowns have finally won a semifinal match after back-to-back defeats to Wydad Casablanca and Esperance over the past two seasons.

Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso made one change from the first leg with Thapelo Morena coming on for Peter Shalulile to be part of an attack that included Tashreeq Matthews and Lucas Ribeiro. 

This meant Cardoso started this match without a recognised striker with Shalulile, Iqraam Rayners and Arthur Sales on the bench.

For Al Ahly, coach Marcel Koller went with the same team that managed a credible 0-0 draw at Loftus last weekend and they were full value as they took an early lead. 

There was not too much goalmouth action in the opening 20 minutes with goalkeepers Mohamed Elshenawy and Ronwen Williams not tested much between the sticks. 

The most notable action of the match arrived after 24 minutes when Al Ahly took the lead through a thunderous shot from the edge of the box by Taher Mohamed. 

For the opener, Emam Abdelghany stole the ball from Sundowns in the midfield and released Mohamed who controlled under pressure from Mosa Lebusa before he riffled a powerful shot to the roof of the net. 

The goal did not sit well with Sundowns as they responded with an attack of their own four minutes later that ended with Matthews tackled by Ramy Rabia in the box after he received a pass from Ribeiro. 

Early in the second half, Ribeiro wasted a good opportunity to equalise when he hit the ball over the crossbar with his weaker right foot after he dummied two Al Ahly defenders. 

There was a long delay in the match after 63 minutes when Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida consulted with VAR officials and was also asked to check on the monitor but decided Yasser Ibrahim did not foul Ribeiro in the box. 

During the long wait for Beida’s decision, Cardoso took advantage to introduce Themba Zwane for Jayden Adams and he nearly equalised a few minutes after his introduction. 

To look for the goal, Cardoso introduced Peter Shalulile, Rayners and Sales in the second half and their presence forced a mistake out of Ibrahim to score an own goal that sank his team in the dying minutes.