Published Date: 2025-04-24 11:09:17 Updated At: 2025-05-13 18:05:40

The South African Sundowns player, Divine Lunga, spoke about the upcoming match against Al Ahly in the second leg of the CAF Champions League semi-final, emphasizing the importance and difficulty of the game, especially since it will be played away from home against a team with vast experience in continental tournaments.

Lunga said in statements published by Sundowns on their official Facebook page: "We know very well that the match will not be easy. Al Ahly is a strong team with a great history, but we trust ourselves and will play with full focus and seriousness. We will try to impose our style of play from the first minute." He added: "In Pretoria, we faced them strongly but couldn’t score. Now we have a new chance, and we will give everything we have to return with a positive result."

The player continued: "Al Ahly doesn’t rely only on physical strength, but they have quality players technically, and they are good at handling pressure in such games. Therefore, we need to be smarter and more balanced, and we must close spaces well."

Lunga pointed out that the team has prepared well for this match by studying Al Ahly's performance and analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, adding: "The coaching staff has prepared us very well. We have a clear plan and will stick to it throughout the game, and we hope luck is on our side."

Regarding the atmosphere in Cairo, he said: "We know that Al Ahly’s fans will be there in full force, creating a tough atmosphere, but we are used to playing under pressure, and we will try to benefit from our past experience in Cairo and achieve a result that helps us qualify."

He concluded his statements by saying: "We respect Al Ahly, but at the same time, we believe in our ability to win and qualify for the final. We will give our all to make Sundowns fans happy and achieve the dream of winning the CAF Champions League this season."

The first-leg match between Al Ahly and Sundowns ended in a goalless draw, which keeps the chances of both teams alive for the second leg. Al Ahly needs to win by any result while keeping a clean sheet, whereas any goal scored by Sundowns will require Al Ahly to score two goals to secure a place in the final.

The second-leg match will take place on Friday evening at Cairo International Stadium, with a large crowd of Al Ahly fans expected to support their team in this decisive encounter. If the match remains 0-0 after regular time, it will go to extra time, followed by penalties if necessary.

The winner of this match will face the winner of the Pyramids vs. Orlando Pirates match in the CAF Champions League final, in a fierce battle for the prestigious continental title.