Pyramids FC wrote their name into African football history by clinching their first-ever TotalEnergies CAF Champions League title, edging past South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns with a 2-1 win in a thrilling second leg finale at Cairo’s 30 June Air Defence Stadium.
After playing out a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Pretoria, the Egyptian side sealed a 3-2 aggregate triumph to become the fourth Egyptian club to lift the continent’s top club prize, joining the illustrious ranks of Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Ismaily.
No other nation has matched this record of producing four different champions.
Roared on by a fervent home crowd, Pyramids started with urgency and took a deserved lead in the 23rd minute.
Their star forward Fiston Mayele latched onto a slick move down the right and drove a precise low shot into the far corner, netting his ninth goal of the campaign and reinforcing his status as a central figure in Pyramids’ momentous journey.
Just 11 minutes into the second half, the Cairo side struck again. Defender Ahmed Samy powered in a header from a pinpoint Mohamed Chibi cross in the 56th minute, igniting wild celebrations across the stadium.
Facing a two-goal deficit, Sundowns refused to fold. They pulled a goal back in the 75th minute when Iqraam Rayners calmly slotted home from close range, injecting tension and drama into the final stretch of the encounter.
Miguel Cardoso’s team pressed hard for an equaliser, with late chances falling to Peter Shalulile and Lebo Mothiba.
But Pyramids stood strong under immense pressure, with goalkeeper Ahmed El Shenawy delivering key saves and the defence staying resolute throughout a tense 10 minutes of stoppage time.
In the end, the Egyptian outfit held on to claim a landmark victory, one that cements their rise in African football and crowns them as champions of the continent for the first time.
