Iqraam Rayners Iqraam Rayners (right), who was involved in the winning goal, leads the Mamelodi Sundowns celebrations against Al Ahly. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: BackpagePix
THE dream of the second star lives on!
Mamelodi Sundowns are going to play the ultimate match of African football’s premier club knockout competition – the CAF Champions League – courtesy of an away-goals aggregate victory over Al Ahly in Cairo on Friday night you would not associate with the aristocrats of South African football.
The Brazilians ground out this success, the 2016 African champions progressing via the away-goals rule thanks to an own goal by Yasser Ibrahim, which saw the second leg of the semi-final end 1-1 after 90 minutes and on aggregate.
They were celebrating it like they had scored it themselves, though, substitute Iqraam Rayners running wildly after his shot had deflected off the Ahly defender to beat Mohamed El Shenawy.
The Cairo Stadium was reverberating to chants and bounces by the partisan 75 000-strong Red Devils supporters, who’d played the role of 12th man so excellently throughout, when disaster struck for the record 12-time champions.
A desperate last-ditch, yet innocuous-looking attack by Sundowns seemed set to peter out like the many before it when Rayners took what appeared a hopeful shot.
El Shenawy looked well-positioned to deal with it, but the ball ricocheted off Ibrahim’s shin into the net.
And like that, the outcome of the match changed – Sundowns literally pick-pocketed the Egyptian giants, whose bench and fans were already in celebratory mood.
Ahly had taken the lead via a goal worthy of taking them to the final midway through the first half – Tahier Mohamed smashing the ball past Ronwen Williams from close range after being sent through by Ashour.
Sundowns had lost possession in the Ahly half, and Ashour quickly released Mohamed, who waited for no second invitation as he smashed the ball first time past Williams, who clearly expected the shot to go to the far-end of the posts.
Then deep into the second half, the Cairo Stadium went into a hush as the referee was called to consult VAR for what appeared to be a foul on Lucas Ribeiro inside the box.
The referee had waved it away, and bravely did the same even after consulting the monitors.
Cue huge delight in the packed stadium, but there was no such later on when Ibrahim stuck the arrow home to send Sundowns to their third ever final, the South Africans having been there in 2001 when they lost to the self same Ahly and then in 2016, when they became champions at the expense of Zamalek – the other top Egyptian side.
Sundowns were the first to ask questions on six minutes, Lucas Ribeiro Costa setting up Tashreeq Matthews.
But the attacker, who was playing as a false nine with Peter Shalulile on the bench, sent his shot across the face of goal – hardly troubling El Shenawy.
The Brazilian again created a chance for Matthews on 28 minutes, but the latter was beaten to the ball by a fast-thinking Ahly defender, who cleared the danger.
Ahly had threatened on the quarter-hour mark as Sundowns carelessly gave the ball away in the middle, but Marawan Ghalab shot wide.
Their Slovenian striker Nejc Gradisar should have put them 1-0 up following a free-kick which fell kindly to him tight in front of Williams, but he hoofed the ball over.
On 33 minutes, Ahly caught Sundowns on the same side where the goal came from, but Williams did well to pull off a good save, blocking Ashour's low shot at the post.
Ribeiro had two successive chances on 50 and 52 minutes, but he fluffed both as it looked like this was just not going to be Sundowns’ night.
The final whistle loomed large, and another semi-final exit appeared imminent when Ibrahim redirected Rayners’ shot past El Shenawy to give Sundowns the chance at a second continental triumph.
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