Saturday, April 18
•Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 Esperance
(Agg 2-0)
•RS Berkane 1-0 FAR Rabat
(Agg 1-2)
South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns and Moroccan side FAR Rabat will contest this year’s CAF Champions League final after negotiating past their respective semifinal ties.
Sundowns beat Tunisian side Esperance in Pretoria to seal a 2-0 aggregate victory having edged the first leg 1-0 in Tunis.
Brayan Leon scored the all important goal before halftime at Loftus Versfeld stadium in the 35th minute.
The Colombian bundled in a rebound after his penalty, following a foul in the box by goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said, was initially saved.
The Visitors, as expected put up a fight and were nearly rewarded before the break when a good cross from Yan Sasse, but Florian Danho rattled the crossbar.
Sundowns were good value for the result and could have won by a better margin but Jayden Adams and Khuliso Mudau both came close.
It’s the fourth final for Sundowns who will be looking for a second CAF Champions League final since their maiden triumph back in 2016.
FAR Rabat on the other hand, progressed past RS Berkane despite a 1-0 defeat on Saturday.
Yassine Lebhiri’s second-half penalty gave Berkane victory on the night but fell short of overturning the deficit from Rabat.
FAR Rabat progressed 2-1 on aggregate having won 2-0 in the first leg played on April 11 at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah, following goals from Ahmed Hammoudan and Khalid Aït Ouarkhane.
The Rabat-based club were the 1984/85 champions of the previous Champions Cup but have not won the competition since it become known as the CAF Champions League.
The Final first leg will be played on 15 May at Loftus Versfeld stadium, and the second leg will be played on 24 May 2026 at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Post a comment