Much like their cross-town rivals Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns will have the unenviable prospect of travelling to Egypt with only a win being good enough to advance to the Caf Champions League final in Cairo on Friday.
Sundowns were held to a goalless draw by Al Ahly in their first-leg semi-final at Loftus Versfeld over the weekend.
The Brazilians had the majority of possession with 74% of the ball, but despite eight shots at goal, they were unable to muster a single one on target.
That will be a worrying stat indeed, and something that Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso will have to rectify in a short space of time.
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“We didn’t [score], we are alive, we are struggling, and I believe that we can finish the job over there in Cairo,” said Cardoso.
“We tried different ways, we tried to find the spaces, we knew that it’s going to be a match for two-three opportunities, and we had to score out of them.”
When Pirates and Sundowns both qualified for the semi-finals of the Caf Champions League, there was massive excitement at the prospect of an all-South African final. However, both sides were held at home in their respective first-leg fixtures, and now there is more chance that neither side will be involved in the trophy match.
Cardoso explained that overcoming Al Ahly in either leg was always going to be a difficult prospect.
“I think the first half was better than the second one, we played more in trying to achieve it, but I think that everybody understood that the positioning from Ahly on the pitch is a very tough one, using four centre-backs, defending with a line of six most of the time, so very deep,” the coach added.
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