“The current moment is for my players to make history” Santos
When AS FAR went into the second leg in their first ever appearance in the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 40 years ago, they were enjoying a 5-2 lead against AS Bilima. The Royal Castle had been so dominant at home that a second leg clash in Kinshasa was nothing more than just a dead rubber.
A 1-1 draw away confirmed the Moroccan giants as champions of Africa in their first attempt.
It has been four decades since that glorious moment. AS FAR are back at home in the final, but the script is not as it was in 1985. This time, they are forced to do a rear-guard effort. They trail South African side Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0.
South African international Aubrey Modiba scored a free-kick to put the 2016 champions in the lead in front of a strong Loftus Versfeld crowd.
The Stade Prince Moulay Stadium in Rabat will host the second leg on Sunday at 19:00 GMT, and the fans are already waiting to play their part in trying to push the Royal Castle to the Promised Land.
Coach Alexandre Santos has faith in the team that has managed to do the unthinkable against a Sundowns side that lost in the final last year.
“We have the memories of 40 years ago when AS FAR won the Champions League. Everybody remembers the names of those players. The current moment is big for my players to write new history,” Santos said in the pre-match press conference.
“This is a big moment for AS FAR. It has been a long time since the team has been in a final with a chance to be champions. I hope that AS FAR can keep this kind of results and consistency, maintain their performances, to be up there with the best teams.
“It is not good to be here for one year and then not be there. That is why I say Sundowns have experience because they have been here. When you are in this kind of moment more often, you can win often, but you can also lose a lot. There are a lot of coaches with a lot of teams, they have a lot of finals, with a lot of losses. But if you do not reach the final, you cannot win anything”, the Portuguese coach said.
AS FAR’s return to the TotalEnergies Champions League final was not an overnight thing.
They were in the second round in 2024. The 2025 season saw more improvements as the Morocco side held Mamelodi Sundowns to two draws in the group stage, before they topped the group. They were knocked out in the quarterfinals by eventual champions Pyramids.