LUANDA – In a thrilling night of African football, Egypt’s Al Ahly and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns secured their spots in the African Football League (AFL) semifinals despite failing to secure home victories.
Al Ahly and Sundowns will now prepare for a tantalizing showdown in the semifinals.
Al Ahly faced a stern challenge from Tanzania’s Simba in the quarterfinal second leg, coming from behind to secure a 1-1 draw. This result saw them qualify on away goals with a 3-3 aggregate tie.
Mamelodi Sundowns, on the other hand, played to a goalless draw at home in Pretoria against Petro Luanda of Angola.
Despite an early red card for Mothobi Mvala, Sundowns advanced comfortably with a 2-0 aggregate score.
The stage is now set for a thrilling semifinal clash between Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns.
The first leg will take place in Egypt, with the return match scheduled for next Wednesday.
This is not the first time these two giants of African football have met in recent history.
In the CAF Champions League group stage last season, Sundowns defeated Ahly 5-2 at home and drew 2-2 away.
In Cairo, Ahly found themselves facing a challenging task against Simba. Despite drawing 2-2 in Dar es Salaam last Friday, Ahly was expected to triumph on home turf.
However, Simba had other plans. After an early second-half opportunity wasted by South African Percy Tau, the Tanzanian side stunned Ahly by taking a 68th-minute lead through Malian Sadio Kanoute.
Kanoute capitalized on a fortuitous deflection, as a cross from his teammate changed direction, wrong-footing Ahly’s goalkeeper Mohamed el Shenawy.
Simba held onto the lead for eight minutes before Mahmoud Kahraba, who also scored in the first leg, struck back for Ahly.
In Pretoria, Sundowns’ defense remained resolute despite losing a man early in the game.
Centre-back Mvala was shown a straight red card for a foul on Petro’s Tiago Azulao, who was charging toward the goal.
Petro Luanda, however, failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage until late in the match.
With these results, Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns set the stage for an enthralling contest in the AFL semifinals. Football fans across the continent eagerly await the clash of these titans.
African Football League lives up to billing
The AFL, although bearing little resemblance to its original concept, continues to offer thrilling African football.
Changes in the competition’s name, the number of participating teams, and prize money have marked its evolution.
From its original name of the CAF Africa Super League, it was rebranded to the AFL.
The number of entrants was reduced from 24 to eight, and the first prize was adjusted from $11.5 million to four million.
The Saudi Arabian tourism authority emerged as the primary financial backer, confirming its support just eight days before the AFL commenced.
As the AFL reaches its semifinal stage, fans can expect more drama and action from this evolving competition.
