Last-gasp goal sees Sundowns beat Al Ahly, reach CAF Champions League final

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 last night you would not associate with the aristocrats of South African football.

- MATSHELANE MAMABOLO

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.