Having conceded an away goal in the first leg of the CAF Champions League final, Mamelodi Sundowns will face an uphill battle in the return leg against Pyramids FC in Cairo on Sunday.
Last week, Sundowns drew the first leg 1-1 at home at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. Now, they will travel to Cairo, knowing only a win or a 2-2 draw will secure their title.
Sundowns will hope to emulate the Pirates side of 1995, thanks to the challenging scoreline.
In the four two-legged finals involving a South African club that lost the first leg at home, only once has a comeback been pulled off. That, of course, happened 30 years ago when Pirates drew 2-2 at home and then defeated ASEC Mimosa 1-0 away in the return leg.
Sundowns’ Unstoppable Streak: Aiming for Champions League Glory
Another piece of history not in Sundowns’ favour is that Egyptian clubs have won all three previous home games against SA teams in Champions League finals.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, as Pyramids have never won the Champions League before while Sundowns lifted the trophy in 2016.
Sundowns though, are unbeaten in their last 10 matches against Egyptian teams and they have also not lost their last nine games across all competitions.
Sundowns’ most recent defeat came against Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final on April 13.
In Miguel Cardoso, Sundowns also have a coach who will be involved in his second successive Champions League final after the mentor led Esperance to the trophy match last season as Al Ahly emerged victorious.
@Michael_Sherman
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