Pyramids FC secured their first-ever CAF Champions League title with a 3-2 win on aggregate over 2016 champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.
In a game where momentum was shifted in thr 94th minute of the first leg when Walid El-Karti netted a equaliser at Loftus Versfeld, the Egyptian Premier League side looked the more threatening of the two sides at 30 June Stadium on Sunday evening.
With a proverbial rent-a-crowd, as they mobilised supporters from other clubs from accross the country to attend the fixture, it provided an impressive atmosphere that wasn’t expected pre-match.
And the provided an entertaining affair, more so in the second half than the first, with the only real action being Fiston Mayele’s poachers effort, profiting from a poor clearance from Grant Kekana to smash home the opener past Ronwen Williams.
Ahmed Samy made it 2-0 in the second half with a diving header from Mohamed Chibi’s pin-point free-kick that looked to be heading to a historic title for the club formed two years after Sundowns secured their first star in their home city against Zamalek almost a decade ago.
But they were made to have a nervy final stages when Iqraam Rayners pulled one back to make it 3-2 on aggregate in the final ten minutes, with only one more away goal, potentially handing them the title in emphatic fashion.
But the home side, led by an eccentric Krunoslav Jurčić on the touchline, managed to see the game out and secure a triumph for Pyramids, becoming the first team to ever win the competition before a league title in their home country.
Meanwhile, it was agony for Miguel Cardoso, who now loses back to back finals in the competition after losing to Al Ahly with Esperance Sportive de Tunis last season.
