PRETORIA, South Africa — Mamelodi Sundowns don miss dem chance to secure win for di first leg of di 2024/25 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League final after Walid El Karti header wey happen for stoppage time give Pyramids FC 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday night.
Di match begin very carefully as both teams no wan make mistake. Lucas Ribeiro Costa put Sundowns for front with his second-half strike after he collect loose ball for di box and fire am past Ahmed El Shenawy for 54th minute. Di home crowd dey rejoice but dem miss chance to extend di lead when substitute Peter Shalulile and Neo Maema fail to convert late chances.
As di match dey go enter stoppage time, Pyramids show dey resilience. Mohanad Lasheen cross find El Karti wey dey unmarked for six-yard box, and di Moroccan no miss with correct header wey enter di bottom corner, silencing di home fans.
Di draw mean say both teams go face each other again for second leg in Cairo on June 1, with di new CAF Champions League trophy awaiting di winner. Pyramids don extend their unbeaten run for dis knockout stage, and dem show strong performance for dia first final appearance.
Ronwen Williams, Sundowns goalkeeper, say di disappointment of late equaliser go motivate dem for di next leg. “We go make sure say we learn from dis mistake and prepare well for di second leg,” e talk. “We still get hope and di competition no finish yet.”
Di match don catch di attention of over 28 international territories, showcasing di quality of African club football on di world stage. Both teams don shift dem focus to di upcoming encounter, where history go dey made and new chapter go open for di continent’s premier club competition.
As di tension build, Sundowns go need to dig deep to keep dia dream of winning di Champions League again alive, while Pyramids feel dem get di edge with di away goal.”
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