Moroccan midfielder Walid El-Karti scored deep in injury time to cancel out Lucas Ribeiro's 54th minute lead to send the Egyptian side back home with a crucial away goal.
With the draw, Pyramids FC now only need a goalless draw in the second leg, which will be held in Cairo in the 1st of June, to secure their first-ever continental title.
The match started evenly, with both teams showing intent.
Sundowns came close to taking the lead early on when Iqraam Rayners missed a clear scoring opportunity. His right-footed shot from outside the box was expertly saved by Pyramids’ goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shenawy in the 10th minute.
Five minutes later, Pyramids FC winger Ibrahim Adel delivered a brilliant assist to Congolese forward Fiston Mayele, who found himself one-on-one with Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams but sent the ball wide of the near post.
Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso made an early change, bringing on striker Jayden Adams for Tashreeq Matthews eight minutes before the break, in a bid to inject fresh energy into his attack.
In the second half, the hosts upped their game and were able to break the deadlock when Ribeiro struck from inside the box after some poor defending by the visitors.
However, Pyramids coach Krunoslav Jurcic responded by bringing on veteran winger Ramadan Sobhi, defender Karim Hafez, and striker Marwan Hamdi shortly before the final whistle, in an attempt to revitalize his side’s offensive play.
Pyramids FC controlled much of the final stages of the match but struggled to break through Sundowns’ defense.
In the 94th minute, Mohanad Lasheen delivered an inviting cross, finding an unmarked El Karti at the far post, who powered home a point-blank header.
A crucial and maybe decisive away goal before the return leg next week in Cairo.
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