Sundowns draw 1-1 with Pyramids, giving the Egyptian team a slight advantage ahead of the final

At Loftus Versfeld Stadium

Mamelodi Sundowns let their 1-0 lead against Pyramids finish in a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the CAF Champions League final here on Saturday.

Walid El Karti scored with a header in the last minutes of the match to give Pyramids a slight advantage when they head into the second leg on June 1.

Sundowns thought they had done enough after Lucas Ribeiro Costa scored early in the second half, but the visitors showed character to equalise late in the match and take an away goal to Cairo next week.

This means Sundowns will be under pressure and will have to score in Egypt to have a chance of lifting the title. Pyramids must play a goalless draw to win the title on away goals.

Sundowns will be disappointed with the result, especially after taking the lead early in the second half but then failing to put the game to bed and allowing the visitors to equalise. The equaliser came after they switched off and allowed El Karti to head home and equalise.

Masandawana were looking to take the game away from Pyramids earlier on, but they got off to a nervy start and struggled to find their rhythm, with a couple of misplaced passes. It was the visitors who had the better chances as Sundowns were left frustrated in the first half. 

The Egyptians showed they are not pushovers, as they piled on the pressure, forcing Sundowns to commit errors, and winning the majority of turnovers in the first half. 

Sundowns’ best chance of a second goal came in the 10th minute, when Iqraam Rayners was picked by Khuliso Mudau and unleashed a strike from a distance that forced Pyramids goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shenawy into a fine save.

The Egyptian team also had their chances in the first half, and Fiston Mayele came close to giving them a goal when he managed to break free on the left side, but sent his strike just wide of Ronwen Williams, before missing another chance moments later.

Downs’ coach was not happy with how his side was playing, and made a tactical switch seven minutes before the interval, taking off Tashreeq Matthews for Jayden Adams. This injected some life into their attack, but they continued to struggle in the final third.

Sundowns came back with more energy in the second half and seemed to find their rhythm as they searched for the opening goal. It was not long before they opened the scoring, with Costa scoring eight minutes into the second half with a shot inside the box after Pyramids failed to clear.

With a goal up, Sundowns continued to dominate as they looked to increase their lead. They did well to neutralise Mayele in the second half, as the visitors struggled to create they chances they needed.

But Sundowns opted to sit back and take it too easy in defending their lead, and the Pyramids broke their hearts late in the second half as they equalised with the last goal of the match.

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