Second-half substitute Marwan Hamdi broke the deadlock with a late goal, ensuring Pyramids FC qualifycation to the knockout stage of the prestigious tournament.

The match was of average quality, with play largely confined to midfield for most of the game.

Both teams adopted a cautious approach, wary of conceding a goal that could derail their plans.

However, Croatian coach Krunoslav Jurčević revitalized the attack in the second half by introducing Ramadan Sobhi and Marwan Hamdi.

Jurčević continued to tweak his lineup, bringing on Sodiq Ougola, Abdel-Rahman Magdi, and Youssef Obama, but the stalemate persisted.

In the fourth minute of added time, Hamdi latched onto Ougola’s pass from the left side of the six-yard box, unleashing a powerful right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner.

With this result, the Egyptian Blues extended their points tally to 10, securing top spot in Group D, followed by Tunisia’s Esperance with 7 points, Sagrada Esperança with 5 points, and Mali’s Djoliba with 2 points.

This marks Pyramids FC's first-ever qualification for the Champions League quarterfinals, after falling short in last year’s tournament with a group-stage exit.

Pyramids FC will host Djoliba in the final round of the group stage on Saturday.

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