Al Ahly’s impressive 20-match unbeaten home streak in the CAF Champions League came to an unexpected end on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat to South Africa’s Orlando Pirates. The loss in Cairo marked a disappointing conclusion to the group stage for the record 12-time African champions, though they still advanced to the quarter-finals as Group C runners-up, four points behind the Soweto side.
The decisive moment came in the 83rd minute when Tshegofatso Mabasa, coming off the bench, headed home a Kabelo Dlamini cross to seal the victory for Pirates. Earlier in the match, Relebohile Mofokeng had given Pirates the lead in the 53rd minute, only for Hussein El Shahat to equalise 16 minutes later, shortly after being substituted on. This marked Ahly’s first home defeat in the competition since a 2021-22 group-stage loss to another South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Orlando Pirates, who last claimed the African title in 1995, ended the group stage with an impressive 14 points, finishing well clear of Ahly on 10. Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria narrowly missed qualification with nine points, while Stade Abidjan of the Ivory Coast managed just one.
Ahly’s campaign was plagued by inconsistency, with their struggles highlighted by a recent loss to Belouizdad in Algiers. The departures of key players Mohamed Abdelmonem and Percy Tau, coupled with a series of injuries, disrupted Swiss coach Marcel Koller’s plans.
Elsewhere in the competition, Mouloudia Alger clinched a quarter-final spot in Group A with a 0-0 draw against Tanzania’s Young Africans in Dar es Salaam. Despite dominating possession and winning 14 corners, the Tanzanian side failed to break down Mouloudia’s disciplined defence. Meanwhile, Al Hilal, already assured of qualification, suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi but still topped the group standings.
In Group D, Esperance of Tunisia and Egypt’s Pyramids, both already through to the last eight, secured emphatic home victories. Achraf Jabri’s hat-trick inspired Esperance to a 4-1 win over Angola’s Sagrada Esperança, while Pyramids thrashed Mali’s Djoliba 6-0 in Cairo. Esperance edged Pyramids to the top spot on head-to-head records, with both finishing on 13 points.
