Mamelodi Sundowns became the second team to progress to the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League after their 5-2 bashing of the competition’s most successful team, Al Ahly, in Saturday’s Group B encounter.
Both sides had played out a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in Cairo on February 25 and the Brazilians were keen to make a statement on their turf with Marcelo Allende giving them the lead in just the fourth minute of play.
Ahly would equalise nine minutes later through Mohamed Sherif but Sundowns fired back with strikes from Themba Zwane and Teboho Mokoena to give Rhulani Mokwena’s side a 3-1 lead heading into the halftime break.
South Africa forward Percy Tau pulled one back for the Red Devils just past the hour mark but there was no way back for the 10-time Champions League winners as Peter Shalulile netted a brace in the 72nd and 88th minute to complete the glut for Sundowns.
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— TotalEnergies CAFCL – TotalEnergies CAFCC ???? (@CAFCLCC) March 11, 2023
Sundowns have now joined Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca as the teams so far to have booked their spots in the last eight.
In other Champions League results on Saturday, reigning champions, Wydad Casablanca, got the better of Petro de Luanda 2-0 in the Angolan capital to give them a two point cushion in Group A over Algerian outfit JS Kabylie, who recorded a comeback 2-1 win over AS Vita of DR Congo in Tizi Ouzou.
Round five of the group stage fixtures will take place next Friday and Saturday with Sundowns’ trip to Al Hilal Omdurman of Sudan and Algeria’s Belouizdad up against Zamalek of Egypt, among the high-profile contests.
