CAIRO — Title-holders Al-Ahly and Pyramids FC secure quarter-finals spots in CAF Champions League.
Al-Ahly’s 20-match unbeaten home streak in the CAF Champions League ended with a 2-1 loss to Group C winners Orlando Pirates at Cairo International Stadium. Despite the defeat, Ahly finished second in the group with 10 points, four behind Pirates, with both teams advancing to the quarter-finals.
Pyramids FC, meanwhile, capped their Group D campaign in style, thrashing Malian side Djoliba 6-0 at Cairo’s June 30 Stadium to book their place in the quarter-finals.
The CAF Champions League quarter-finals are set for the last weekend of March and the first weekend of April.
It was the first home loss by Ahly in the African competition since losing to another South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns, in the 2021-2022 group phase.
It was an unconvincing group campaign by Ahly, who suffered their first Champions League defeat in 28 matches when falling to Mouloudia Belouizdad in Algiers two weeks ago, AFP reported.
The transfers of star defender Mohamed Abdelmonem to Nice and South African attacker Percy Tau to Qatar SC and a string of injuries have upset the plans of Swiss coach Marcel Koller.
Mouloudia, who in 1976 became the first African champions from Algeria, needed a point from a visit to Young Africans of Tanzania to advance from Group A and drew 0-0 in Dar es Salaam.
Already-qualified Hilal fielded a weakened team away to bottom club TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the same section and suffered a 4-0 hammering in Lubumbashi.
But Hilal, based in Mauritania because of the Sudanese civil war, still topped the final standings with 10 points. Mouloudia had nine, Young Africans eight and Mazembe five.
Group D table-toppers Esperance and runners-up Pyramids, who both secured quarter-finals places last weekend, won convincingly at home.
Achraf Jabri scored a hat-trick in his first Champions League start as Esperance beat Sagrada Esperanca of Angola 4-1 in Rades while Pyramids walloped Djoliba of Mali 6-0 in Cairo.
Esperance edged Pyramids on head-to-head records after both accumulated 13 points. Sagrada secured five points and winless Djoliba two.
Relebohile Mofokeng broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute at Cairo International Stadium, capitalizing on defensive errors. Al-Ahly leveled in the 69th minute through Hussein el-Shahat, who brilliantly lobbed Orlando’s keeper.
However, Gilberto’s late strike in the 83rd minute sealed the win for the visitors.
Al-Ahly had their chances but was left frustrated following Rami Rabia’s disallowed goal which could have restored parity.
In the other Group match, Algerian giants Chabab Belouizdad dismantled Stade d’Abidjan 6-0 in their final group fixture.
Chabab Belouizdad, now with 9 points, narrowly missed out on quarter-final qualification, finishing third in the group. Stade d’Abidjan, winless with just one point, ended their campaign at the bottom of the group.
In another Group D match, Pyramids who just like Esperance had already secured their place in the knockout stages beat Djoliba 6-0 to cap what has been an exceptional group stage campaign for the Egyptians.
Yearning to emulate the continental success of their Egyptian counterparts Al Ahly and Zamalek, Pyramids put up another clinical performance at home against a hapless Djoliba.
Pyramids’ goals were scored by Sodiq Ougola and Marwan Hamdi in the first half, before Mostapha Fathi, Ramadan Sobhi, Abdel Magdy and Youssef Obama each found the back of the net to conclude the 6-0 drubbing.
Both Esperance and Pyramids advance to the next stage with four wins, a draw and a loss, as Sagrada Esperance and Djoliba bow out of the competition.
Elsewhere, MC Alger secured their place in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals following a goalless draw against Young Africans in Tanzania on Saturday.
The Algerian side needed just a point to join already-qualified Al Hilal in the knockout stages, and their professional display saw them finish second in Group A with nine points.
The result means both North African sides advance from Group A, with TP Mazembe finishing bottom despite their convincing victory over Al Hilal in the other match.
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