In a thrilling finish on Saturday, Walid El Karti’s stoppage-time header earned Egypt’s Pyramids FC a 1-1 draw away at Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of the CAF Champions League final.
With the clock ticking into the 94th minute, El Karti rose to meet a deep cross, directing a precise header past Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams at the far post, stunning a packed Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, where 50,000 fans watched eagerly.
Earlier in the match, Brazilian defender Lucas Ribeiro broke a long Champions League goal drought for Sundowns. After a close-range attempt was saved by Pyramids’ keeper Ahmed El Shenawy, Ribeiro pounced on the rebound and smashed the ball into the top corner to give Sundowns the lead in the 54th minute.
The two sides will meet again on June 1 in Cairo, with Sundowns chasing their second African club title and Pyramids aiming for their maiden triumph.
This wasn’t the first time Sundowns and Pyramids met on home turf — they drew in Pretoria during the group stage before Sundowns clinched a win in Cairo thanks to a goal from Teboho Mokoena.
Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso expressed disappointment with the team’s performance late in the game.
“In the last 10 minutes, we dropped too deep, which cost us. Conceding so late is frustrating, but we believe we can score in Cairo and take the win,” said Cardoso.
“Pyramids’ midfielders were very aggressive, and we’ll have to be ready for that in the return leg.”
He also noted the slippery pitch affected their style of play. “It wasn’t ideal for us.”
On the other side, Pyramids coach and former Croatian international Krunoslav Jurcic called on Egyptian fans to pack the stadium for the second leg.
“Please come support us in Cairo. We’re representing all of Egypt, and the fans’ energy could make a huge difference,” Jurcic urged.
“We knew Sundowns well and fought hard, but the final is far from decided. They beat us in Cairo last time.”
Pyramids are relatively new to the Champions League, this being only their second appearance, while Sundowns bring 17 prior campaigns and have previous glory, having beaten Egypt’s Zamalek in the 2016 final.
After the return leg, Sundowns will shift focus to the Club World Cup in the United States, where they face tough opponents including Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, and Ulsan Hyundai in Group F.
