Sundowns stunned as Pyramids draw level in Pretoria

When the final whistle sounded, Mamelodi Sundowns players looked at each other with hands on hips and completely stunned.

This was because Walid El Karti scored deep into injury time to equalise and earn Pyramids FC the crucial away goal and a 1-1 draw in this Champions League final first leg at Loftus on Saturday. 

Whoever is going to be crowned champion next Sunday in the second leg in Cairo, will be presented with the new and modernised trophy that was revealed in Johannesburg on Thursday.

In a typically cagey final clash at Loftus that was packed to the rafters, Sundowns looked to have earned a crucial 1-0 win after they had taken the lead through talismanic attacker Lucas Ribeiro but Walid El Karti had other ideas. 

Success in Cairo at the weekend will see Denis Onyango, Themba Zwane and Kennedy Mweene register significant personal milestones of having won this tournament on two occasions. 

For that to happen, there is a lot of work to be done as they are only halfway there in this two-legged tie and they are going to need an improved performance to prevail in the second leg. 

When they lifted the competition in 2016, Sundowns beat Zamalek 3-0 in the first leg at Lucas Moripe Stadium through goals from Anthony Laffor, Tebogo Langerman and an own goal from Islam Gamal.

They went on to lose 1-0 in Alexandria but that scoreline did not matter much as the job was already done in Pretoria and they went on to win 3-1 on aggregate and this time they can’t afford to lose away from home. 

For this match, goalkeeper Ronwen Williams took his place between the poles with Grant Kekana and Mosa Lebusa paired in central defence and Khuliso Mudau and Aubrey Modiba on the side.

In the midfield, Cardoso went with tried and tested campaigners in the form of Teboho Mokoena and Marcello Allende to dictate terms in the engine room against the likes of Ibrahim Toure, Ahmed Saad and Walid El Karti.   

In the creative department, Cardoso went with Lucas Ribeiro, Tashereeq Matthews, Arthur Sales and Iqraam Rayners with Peter Shalulile, Themba Zwane, Jayden Adams and Denis Onyango left on the bench.

Pyramids coach Krunoslav Jurčić, who said this two-legged final was the biggest moment of his career, also had experienced players in his starting line-up as they looked to get a favourable result away from home.

Sundowns were the first to settle and create a goal attempt in the game with the notable one coming after six minutes when Mudau delivered a cross into the box.

But alert Pyramids goalkeeper Ahmed El Shenawy reacted quickly and was able to deal with the danger.

Shortly after, the Brazilians stretched the Pyramids defence with a quick counterattack that resulted in Rayners forcing a diving save out of Ahmed El Shenawy.

Had this chance found the back of the net, plaudits were going to go in the direction of Rayners but good work in that attacking move was done by Mudau who disposed of Ibrahim Aly Mohammed and launched the attack.

Pyramids responded after 16 minutes when Aly Mohammed broke free on the left wing from where he released dangerous Fiston Mayele but his shot went wide off target.

Mayele wasted another good opportunity a few minutes later as Pyramids took advantage of a poor passage of play by Sundowns who were losing the ball in the midfield carelessly.

Sundowns woke from their brief slumber and in one of their attacks ended with a shot from Sales going wide with the Pyramids defence and goalkeeper El Shenawy under pressure.

The reason for Sundowns losing their tempo as the clock ticked towards the half-hour mark was largely because Mokoena and Allende were overpowered by Mohammed Adbelmonem and Toure in the midfield.

With Plan A not working and the team not moving into higher gear, Cardoso looked to the bench and introduced Jayden Adams for Matthews who was ineffective.

The Brazilians had a good start to the second half as they opened the scoring after 54 minutes when Ribeiro provided the moment of magic with a well-taken curling shot that flew over Mohammed Chibi on its way into the net.

The goal was a result of sheer persistence by Sundowns attackers, especially Modiba on the edge of the box, who kept on putting the ball into the box and it ultimately fell on the path of Ribeiro who kissed the back of the net.

To manage the game in the closing stages, Cardoso brought in some fresh legs to manage the game with Neo Maema and Peter Shalulile coming on for Sales and Rayners.

But loss of concentration in the dying minutes proved their undoing and they have all to do in Cairo on Sunday.