CAF C/League: Sundowns zoom into Q/finals after Al-Ahly defeat

 

Mamelodi Sundowns qualified for the CAF Champions League quarterfinals after beating defending champions Al-Ahly 1-0 on Saturday.

Peter Shalulile scored the lone 23rd-minute goal that separated the sides and gave Sundowns an unprecedented CAF Champions League double over former coach Pitso Mosimane.

Sundowns have 10 points in Group A and leave the dogfight to the remaining three teams that are all on four points.

Mamelodi Sundowns not only completed a memorable CAF Champions League double over Egyptian super club Al-Ahly when they beat them 1-0, but they also qualified for the quarterfinal stage through their success on Saturday.

Playing at the unusual venue of FNB Stadium with their normal stadia of Lucas Masterpieces Moripe not being fit for CAF games while Loftus Versfeld’s freshly renovated dressing rooms are being used by the Bulls, Sundowns actually outplayed the defending champions.

Peter Shalulile’s 23rd-minute goal was enough to separate the sides as Sundowns moved to 10 points while Al-Ahly, Al-Merrikh and Al-Hilal all remain on four points.

Al-Hilal is Sundowns’ next opponent on 19 March and they would have looked on with glee after beating Al-Merrikh on Friday to keep their tournament hopes alive.

With a crowd of 2000 that sounded far more raucous than their tiny number in the cavernous calabash, they beat their drums and sang to their heart’s delight.

While Al-Ahly is accustomed to intimidating continental scenarios, they’ve also brought battle-hardened troops to cope with those conditions.

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They still have a classy contingent under Pitso Mosimane, but they’re starting to show the strain of non-stop league, continental and cross-continental football.

Al-Ahly had two golden chances in the 75th and 82nd minutes through Ahmed Radwan and Hassan El-Hamzawy, but both of them went wide.