Defending champions Pyramids FC and record title holders Ahly, the two Egyptian clubs playing in the 2025 African Champions League, had statement victories in the opening games of the group stage.
Two other Egyptian teams in the less-fancied Confederation Cup had tougher matches in the same stage but still came out on top.
In the Champions League Group A at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Saturday, Pyramids blanked Rivers United of Nigeria 3-0 thanks to a second half hat-trick by Ahmed Atef.
Atef struck from close range to open the scoring in the 52nd minute. Five minutes later, the 22-year-old forward doubled the advantage with a superbly guided header into the top right corner. He finished off his super night in the 72nd minute, guiding a right-footed effort into the bottom left corner.
RS Berkane of Morocco, Pyramids’ closest competitor in Group A, also won 3-0 against Zambia’s Power Dynamos on Saturday.
Before Pyramids’ match, their head coach Krunoslav Jurčić insisted his side must prove they can stay at the “top of African football” after an outstanding run of success.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference at 30 June Stadium on Friday, the Croatian tactician stressed that maintaining their status as the continent’s leading club would be even harder than winning it the first time.
“Pyramids FC have succeeded in reaching the top, and we are currently the best team in Africa. Everyone knows that getting to the top is difficult, but staying there is much more difficult,” Jurčić said.
“That is why we face a tough task to remain at the summit this season. Our goal is always to win every match and compete for every trophy.”
The 2024-25 Pyramids had a season for the ages, winning the Champions League in only their second appearance, the CAF Super Cup and the inaugural FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Club Championship.
The Cairo-based club’s remarkable year was further recognised at the CAF Awards in Marrakech on Wednesday last week where they were named Interclub Team of the Year and their Congolese striker Fiston Mayele was crowned Interclub Player of the Year.
Pyramid’s next Champions League fixture will be against Power Dynamos in Zambia on Saturday 29 November in the second round of Group A matches.
Ahly had a surprisingly easy time in Group B, beating JS Kabylie of Algeria 4-1 in Cairo Stadium, also on Saturday.
A quick double by Mahmoud Trezeguet in the 36th minute with a well-placed header and six minutes before the game’s end proved the difference.
Striker Mohamed Sherif scored three minutes after Trezeguet’s first goal, giving Ahly a 2-0 lead at the half.
Kabylie pulled one back early in the second half when the ball trickled under the fingers of Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Shennawi who misjudged its path.
But Trezeguet struck again on 84 minutes to make it 3-1. Deep into added time, Emam Ashour, returning after an almost two-month absence with hepatitis A, slotted home a goal that should have been saved by Kabylie goalkeeper Mohamed Hadid.
After the first group game, Ahly lead Group B on goal difference over Tanzanian side Young Africans, who had earlier defeated Morocco’s FAR Rabat 1-0.
Ahly are chasing a record-extending 13th title following their elimination from last edition’s semi-final. They had lost to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns who were then upended by Pyramids in the final, winning the prestigious title for the first time ever.
Ahly will next face FAR Rabat in Morocco in the second round of the group stage on Friday 28 November.
The Egyptian winning streak continued into the second-tier African Confederation Cup. Zamalek, two-time winners of the competition, opened their Group D account with a narrow 1-0 win over Zambia’s ZESCO United at Cairo International Stadium on Sunday.
Seifeddine Jaziri scored the winner two minutes before halftime, eluding a defender with a quick turnaround before curling a shot from the edge of the box into the far corner.
Zamalek travel to South Africa to face Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa on 30 November before meeting Egyptian compatriot Masri at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadium on 25 January.
Again in the Confederation Cup, Masri claimed a 2-1 victory over South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs in their opening match at Borg El-Arab Stadium on Sunday.
Bonheur Mugisha converted a penalty in the 59th minute to give Masri the lead, before Kaizer Chiefs’ Yusuf Solomons equalised eight minutes later with a well-placed strike following a solo run in front of goal and multiple defenders.
But Mohamed Hashim sealed the win for Masri with an 87th-minute goal, striking at a ball that bobbed around after a corner, ensuring all three points for the hosts.
Masri and Zamalek now sit atop Group D with three points each from their first games.
Masri will travel to Zambia to face ZESCO United on 30 November before returning home to face Zamalek in their third group match.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 27 November, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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