Sundowns, Al Ahly to face off in African Champions League semifinal
Three of the four semi-finalists for this season’s African Champions League were confirmed following Tuesday night’s quarterfinals action.
Al Ahly, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Pyramids advanced to the final four.
Al Ahly and the Mamelodi Sundowns will meet in one semi-final. The Egyptian side, Pyramids, in the semis for the first time after knocking out AS FAR 4-3 on aggregate, will face the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between South Africa’s Orlando Pirates and the Algerian outfit MC Alger.
Sundowns have emerged as a formidable opponent for Al Ahly in recent years and have become a bit of a bogey team in the Egyptians’ bid for African football domination.
Since 2019, the two teams have clashed multiple times, with Sundowns often challenging Al Ahly’s dominance.
In the 2018–19 season, Sundowns delivered a stunning 5-0 victory over Al Ahly in the quarter-finals, marking one of Al Ahly’s heaviest defeats in the competition. Although Al Ahly won the return leg 1-0, Sundowns advanced with a 5-1 aggregate score.
The South African champions achieved back-to-back victories against their rivals two years later, winning 1-0 both home and away. These results helped propel Sundowns to topping their group, while Al Ahly managed to progress as runners-up.
The 2022–23 group stage encounters saw the Sundowns continue their strong performance, securing a 5-2 home win and drawing 2-2 away against Al Ahly.
Sundowns’ growing competitiveness in the rivalry was cemented in the inaugural African Football League (AFL) where they beat Al Ahly in the semi en route to winning that title after a 3-2 win in the final against WAC.
These results have set them against each other as one of African club football’s greatest rivals.
They will write the next chapter of this rivalry on April 18. The second leg is scheduled for the week later.
