Ahly Winger Taher Mohamed in action during the second leg of the CAF Champions League semi-final against Sundowns. Photo courtesy of Ahly Facebook page.
The result extends Ahly's winless run against the South Africans to eight games in their worst ever run against a continental rival.
The Egyptian giants entered the match aiming to leverage home advantage in front of a packed crowd after a goalless first-leg stalemate in Pretoria. A victory would have kept them on track for a historic record-extending 13th continental crown.
Ahly Swiss coach Marcel Koller retained the same starting XI and defensive 5-4-1 setup used in the first leg, prioritizing containment of Sundowns’ quick transitions while relying on counterattacks.
A cagey first half saw limited chances, with both sides wary of early concessions.
Sundowns nearly struck first in the sixth minute when Tashreeq Matthews latched onto Lucas Ribeiro Costa’s cross, but his left-footed effort missed wide to the right.
The hosts responded in the 22nd minute as Slovenian striker Nejc Gradisar blazed over from close range.
Two minutes later, Taher broke the deadlock, launching a right-footed rocket into the top corner after a swift counterattack orchestrated by midfielder Emam Ashour.
Ashour nearly doubled the lead nine minutes later, forcing a sharp save from goalkeeper Ronwen Williams with a powerful strike.
However, despite dominating possession, Sundowns struggled to test Ahly’s defense, trailing 1-0 at halftime.
The visitors ramped up pressure after the break but found themselves repeatedly thwarted by Ahly’s disciplined backline.
Lucas Ribeiro came closest to equalizing in the 50th minute, denied by goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shennawy.
Controversy arose in the 65th minute when Mauritanian referee Beida Dahane upheld his decision to deny Sundowns a penalty after a VAR review of Yasser Ibrahim’s challenge in the box.
Sundowns’ persistence paid off in the final minute as a scrambled cross caused chaos in Ahly’s penalty area, deflecting off Ibrahim and into the net.
Koller introduced forwards Hussein El-Shahat and Mohamed ‘Afsha’ Magdi to spark a response, but the hosts couldn’t reclaim momentum.
Sundowns - who reach their first final since 2016 - will now face the winner of the other semi-final between Egypt's Pyramids FC and Orlando Pirates of South Africa.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: