Pyramids coach Jurcic writes his name in African football history
Pyramids FC etched their name into African football history on Sunday night, defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in Cairo to lift their first-ever TotalEnergies CAF Champions League title and hand coach Krunoslav Jurcic a landmark personal triumph.
The Egyptian club completed a 3-2 aggregate victory over the South African giants, adding their name to a distinguished list of champions and becoming Egypt’s fourth club — after Al Ahly, Zamalek and Ismaily — to win the coveted continental title.
Goals from Fiston Mayele and Ahmed Samy in each half gave Pyramids a strong 2-0 lead in the second leg at the Air Defense Stadium, following the 1-1 draw in Pretoria a week earlier.
Although Iqraam Rayners pulled one back late on for Sundowns with a composed finish from the centre of the box, it wasn’t enough to derail the Egyptian side’s determined charge to glory.
For Jurcic, the result is historic. The Croatian becomes the first from his country to win the CAF Champions League — a feat that places him alongside legendary European tacticians who have left their mark on African football, echoing the achievements of Yugoslavians Ivan Ridanovic and Branko Zutic in the 1970s and ’80s.
Having reached the CAF Confederation Cup final last season, Pyramids have now gone one better, capping years of heavy investment with the ultimate prize on the continent.
The result also confirms Egypt’s unmatched dominance in African club football, with four different teams now continental champions — an unprecedented feat.
Speaking before the final, Jurcic had urged the entire Egyptian football fraternity to back the club’s quest: “We will play our usual way, and we call on the Egyptian fans to support us for the sake of football in the country, not just for Pyramids.”
The win not only rewards that belief but firmly establishes Pyramids as a new force in African football.
With veterans like Walid El Karti, Sherif Ekramy, and Ramadan Sobhi forming the spine of the squad, Pyramids’ moment in the spotlight has finally arrived — with Jurcic leading from the front.