Ribeiro opener, but tough CAF Champions League final task awaits Mamelodi Sundowns as Pyramids FC grab late equaliser
Mihlali Baleka | Published 6 hours ago
Mamelodi Sundowns will head into the CAF Champions League final second leg on the back foot after drawing 1-1 with Pyramids FC in Saturday's first leg at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Lucas Ribeiro Costa scored the opener for Sundowns in the 54th minute with a well-executed shot after Aubrey Modiba's effort was blocked, and the rebound fell into his path.
The Brazilian had started the move, with his initial shot also cleared off the line as Sundowns went for the jugular after a lacklustre first half.
But his goal was cancelled out by Walid El Karti deep into stoppage time, as the Pharaohs took a huge advantage into the second leg in Cairo next Sunday night.
The Brazilians have to score away to keep their chances alive of winning the crown for the first time since 2016 under coach Pitso Mosimane.
Failure to do that would see them relinquish the title to Pyramids, who've reached their first continental final since their inception.
The Champions League final had become a far-fetched dream for Sundowns over the years after eight unsuccessful attempts.
As such, that was evident here earlier on as they were not at their best from the start, resulting in a stalemate after the first half of the game.
The Brazilians must have wanted to come out of the blocks blazing, taking the game to the visitors, who were also navigating uncharted territory in their first final.
However, it wasn't to be. Sundowns found themselves on the back foot, to the extent that Khuliso Mudau had to make numerous clearances at the back.
The Bafana Bafana international didn't only pull the rug out under Pyramids' feet, but he was involved in a number of inroads – almost setting up the lead for Iqraam Rayners.
Rayners had done his best to turn and twist his marker upon Mudau's assist, but his final shot was parried away, exceptionally, for a corner-kick by Ahmed El Shenawi.
That scare proved to be a wake-up call for the Pharaohs as they took the game to the visitors, using Ibrahim Mohamed as the focal point.
Mohamed tried to make Pyramids tick, including putting Fiston Mayele through on goal at some point, but the DRC international unceremoniously placed his close-range shot wide.
Mohamed also tried to make things happen on his own when Mayele and Co were not putting his efforts to good use as he forced a save from Ronwen Williams.
It was a torrid outing for the hosts, and coach Miguel Cardoso made a tactical change, replacing Tashreeq Matthews with Jayden Adams.
After the two teams went into the break holding ducks after a yawn of a first half, it took DJ Maphorisa's halftime performance to wake up the sleeping Yellow Nation.
Cardoso's halftime team talk seemed to have worked a charm as his side returned with enough vigour – led by none other than Ribeiro Costa.
The Brazilian waved his magic wand early in the second half, taking the game to the visitors with his trickery and pace.
As such, he was duly rewarded, grabbing the lead, which was later cancelled out by El Karti as the two teams will now have everything to play for at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo next Sunday.
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