Latest news with #Pyramids
CAF
3 hours ago
- Sport
- CAF
Sundowns coach Cardoso seeks to join Africa's elite coaches
Published: Sunday, 01 June 2025 Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has shot at African glory as he leads his team into the second leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League final against Egypt's Pyramids FC on Sunday evening in Cairo. The Portuguese tactician, who guided Sundowns to an impressive showing this season, is hoping to go one step further this time and etch his name alongside the continent's greatest managers. His side played to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Pretoria, with Lucas Ribeiro's opener canceled out by a late Walid El Karti header for Pyramids. Cardoso will now need to mastermind a win or a high-scoring draw at the Air Defense Stadium to deliver Sundowns' second CAF Champions League title and his first as head coach. If successful, he will become the second Portuguese coach to lift the prestigious African trophy after legendary Manuel Jose, who won four titles with Al Ahly between 2001 and 2008. Cardoso's achievement would further underscore the growing global influence of Portuguese managers, now sought after from various clubs across Africa. Despite the pedigree of his Croatian counterpart Krunoslav Jurčić, who is seeking to make Pyramids the fourth Egyptian club to win the Champions League, the spotlight remains firmly on Cardoso. His team knocked out defending champions Al Ahly in the semi-finals, denying Swiss coach Marcel Koller a shot at a third successive crown. This final is also a personal redemption story for Cardoso. Now, just 90 minutes from the title, he stands on the verge of rewriting Sundowns' continental story while strengthening the legacy of Portuguese coaches in Africa. Sundowns' previous Champions League triumph came under Pitso Mosimane in 2016. A second title under Cardoso would confirm the club's rise as a consistent continental powerhouse and place the Portuguese coach in esteemed company on CAF's coaching wall of fame.
CAF
5 hours ago
- Sport
- CAF
Pyramids poised to carve name in African football history
Published: Sunday, 01 June 2025 Pyramids FC are just 90 minutes away from achieving the greatest milestone in their club's short history as they prepare to host South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns in the second leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League final on Sunday at Cairo's Air Defense Stadium. With the first leg ending 1-1 in Pretoria — Lucas Ribeiro's strike cancelled out by a late equaliser from Walid El Karti — the Egyptian side head into the return fixture knowing a goalless draw or any outright win would secure them their first-ever Champions League crown. This would not only mark a seismic moment for Pyramids FC, but it would also add a new name to the elite list of African football champions. Founded in 2008 and only emerging as a professional force in recent years, the Cairo-based side are now on the cusp of continental greatness. Croatian coach Krunoslav Jurčić has guided the team to this historic final, looking to add the CAF Champions League trophy to the Egypt Cup title he won earlier in the season. Should he succeed, he will become the first Croatian manager to lift Africa's premier club competition trophy — a significant personal and national milestone. Jurčić follows in the footsteps of another Croatian, Ante Cacic, who led Pyramids to the final of the CAF Confederation Cup in 2020, where they narrowly lost to Morocco's RS Berkane. This time, Pyramids are determined to go one step further. Victory on Sunday would also see Pyramids join an exclusive club of Egyptian giants — Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Ismaily — as winners of Africa's most prestigious club tournament. Egypt would also become the only country to have four different clubs crowned champions in the competition's history. With the Air Defense Stadium expected to be packed with local supporters and the eyes of the continent watching, Pyramids FC know they are not just playing for a trophy, but for their legacy.
Egypt Today
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Egypt Today
Pyramids hope for ‘miracle' of support in African CL final
(Reuters) - Egypt's Pyramids hope to rally local support for Sunday's African Champions League final as they face the possibility of hosting the second leg in a near-empty stadium in Cairo against South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns. Coach Krunoslav Jurcic said it would be a "miracle" if his side could attract support from a city whose citizens overwhelmingly back one of the two traditional Cairo giants -- Al Ahly or Zamalek. Pyramids have emerged from their shadow to contest a first Champions League final and battled to a 1-1 draw away in Pretoria in the first leg. "We are expecting tomorrow a lot of people in the stadium. This will be a miracle," Jurcic told a press conference on Saturday at the June 30 Stadium on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital. "Lately, a lot of people have been speaking positively about Pyramids. They are supporters of other clubs in Egypt, but they will come to watch because Pyramids is an Egyptian club. "Tomorrow, all of Egypt will be with Pyramids, and this is our big success, this is the miracle for us," the Croatian coach said. They had only a few thousand in the stands when they triumphed in a high-tempo semi-final against another South Africa club Orlando Pirates last month. Pyramids moved to Cairo in 2018 and changed their name under new Saudi owners. They have since been taken over by investors from the United Arab Emirates but failed to attract much support despite challenging the traditional duopoly in recent years. But Jurcic made it clear they were still treated as outsiders as he again criticised Egypt's football association, which made them play a league game on Wednesday. "Where else in the world is a club forced to play a local match a few days before they compete in a Champions League final?," he said. Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso, however, said he did not think it would have any effect on Pyramids' chances in the final. "They rested most of their key players on Wednesday," he said of Pyramids' 5-1 win over Ceramica Cleopatra in their last league fixture of the season. Cardoso also did not think a small crowd would hinder their hosts. "They are used to playing without fans and they still fight for their championship and got to the Champions League final. It's not because of that that they didn't perform," Cardoso added.
Al-Ahram Weekly
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Live score: Pyramids v Mamelodi Sundowns (CAF Champions League – Final, 2nd Leg) - Egyptian Football
Live score: Pyramids v Mamelodi Sundowns (CAF Champions League – Final, 2nd Leg) Ahram Online , Sunday 1 Jun 2025 Ahram Online is providing live score coverage for the CAF Champions League final second-leg match between Pyramids and Mamelodi Sundowns.
CAF
7 hours ago
- Sport
- CAF
Sundowns aim for second African crown in Cairo showdown
Published: Sunday, 01 June 2025 Mamelodi Sundowns are just one game away from reclaiming African club football's biggest prize, as they are in Cairo to face Egypt's Pyramids FC in Sunday's decisive second leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League final. The first leg ended 1-1 at a packed Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, with Lucas Ribeiro giving the South Africans the lead before Walid El Karti struck late to earn Pyramids a vital away goal. It means Sundowns must now either win or secure a scoring draw of 2-2 or more to lift their second Champions League title, after their historic triumph in 2016. Led by charismatic head coach Miguel Cardosso, the Brazilians are desperate to end a nearly decade-long wait for continental silverware. Cardosso, who took full charge of the team to revive its fortunes, has repeatedly stated his ambition to restore Sundowns to the summit of African football. Sundowns have been one of the most dominant sides in African football over the past decade, consistently reaching the knockout stages and winning the CAF Super Cup in 2017. But recent years have seen them fall short at crucial stages, something Cardosso's men are determined to correct. Midfielder Tebogo Mokoena and defender Malibongwe Khoza have both expressed belief in the squad's ability to overcome the Cairo challenge, with Khoza declaring: 'We know what we will do to win, we know how they [Pyramids] will play, and we know how we will exploit the spaces.' If Sundowns succeed, they will become just the fourth team in the Champions League era to win the title more than once, joining the likes of Al Ahly, TP Mazembe, and ES Tunis. Sunday's clash at the Air Defense Stadium is not just a battle for a trophy — it is a showdown between two clubs representing ambition, identity, and a hunger to write a new chapter in African football history.
