In a historic moment for Egyptian football, Pyramids FC secured their first-ever CAF Champions League title after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the second leg of the final at Cairo’s 30,000-seat stadium on Sunday. The win crowned them champions with a 3-2 aggregate scoreline following a 1-1 draw in Pretoria last weekend.
Competing in Africa’s premier club competition for only the second time, Pyramids defied expectations and pressure to triumph over the seasoned Sundowns side. The Egyptian club’s forward, Fiston Mayele, opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, followed by a crucial goal from defender Ahmed Samy in the 56th minute.
Sundowns’ Iqraam Rayners managed to pull one back in the 75th minute, intensifying the closing stages of the match, but the visitors were unable to find the vital second goal needed to claim the trophy on away goals.
The stadium, usually drawing modest crowds, was about half full with around 15,000 passionate fans who responded to Pyramids’ plea for support in this landmark fixture.
Both teams made tactical adjustments from the first leg: Pyramids coach Krunoslav Jurcic, a former Croatian international midfielder, opted to rest prolific scorer Ibrahim Adel in favor of ex-Premier League forward Ramadan Sobhi, while Sundowns’ Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso introduced midfielder Jayden Adams, sidelining Brazilian forward Arthur Sales.
Cardoso’s achievement of reaching consecutive Champions League finals with different clubs places him alongside Argentine legend Oscar Fullone, who previously accomplished this feat in the late 1990s.
However, it was the Pyramids’ night as they lifted the coveted trophy for the first time in their young history, signaling their arrival on the continental stage and igniting excitement among Egyptian football supporters.
