Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco secured their spots in the inaugural African Football League final after intense semifinal second legs on Wednesday.
In Cairo, Sundowns' goalkeeper Ronwen Williams made a crucial penalty save, and Al Ahly from Egypt hit the woodwork in a goalless draw. This result gave the club from Pretoria a 1-0 aggregate victory.
In Rades, Esperance of Tunisia narrowly defeated Wydad 1-0 on the night with a goal from Rodrigo Rodrigues. However, Rodrigues had his penalty saved in a shootout, which Wydad won 5-4 after a 1-1 aggregate draw.
Wydad will enjoy home advantage in the first leg of the final on Sunday, with the winners set to claim four million dollars. The return match will take place on November 11.
This final is a rematch of the 2023 CAF Champions League semifinal, which Wydad Casablanca won on away goals after two draws.
In Cairo, Al Ahly, with a record 11-time Champions League title, had an early opportunity to score when Ronwen Williams fouled former Sundowns star Percy Tau, resulting in a penalty. However, Williams made a crucial save, denying Ali Maaloul's low kick.
Sundowns had their moments, including a close-range shot by Percy Tau that struck the crossbar, leaving the South African side ahead on aggregate at halftime.
Sundowns performed better in the second half but found themselves under pressure in the final six minutes of regular time when substitute Junior Mendieta received a straight red card for a dangerous tackle.
Heated claims for an added-time penalty by Ahly were dismissed after a VAR check. The handball offense was determined to be just outside the box.
In Tunisia, Brazilian Rodrigues equalized the one-goal lead Wydad had from the first leg with a powerful header in the 66th minute. He had another goal disallowed by VAR in the 88th minute due to an offside in the build-up.
Rodrigues, who had recently joined from Brazilian second-tier club Juventude, was the only player who failed to score in the shootout. His penalty lacked power, and Wydad's goalkeeper Youssef El Motie made a crucial save.
Senegalese substitute Bouly Sambou secured the shootout for Wydad with a powerful shot into the net, defeating 19-year-old Esperance goalkeeper Amanallah Memmiche.
