CAF Champions League: AS FAR shock Pyramids in Cairo to reach semifinals

Morocco’s AS FAR eliminated defending champions Pyramids FC to advance to the CAF Champions League semifinals on Saturday following a 2-1 quarterfinal, second leg victory in Cairo.

اهداف مباراة الجيش الملكي و بيراميدز pic.twitter.com/AbCfksdGPe

— A&M FOOTBALL (@am_22yf) March 21, 2026

The Egyptian big spenders earned an advantage by drawing 1-1 in Rabat following the first leg but Les Militaires produced a composed and focused performance away from home to eliminate the reigning champions.

The visitors came into the match on a 10-match unbeaten streak in all competitions and utilized their excellent defense to hold on after taking a two-goal lead. The club from Morocco’s capital faced questions about their attacking capabilities but Reda Slim quickly silenced critics by striking in the 9th minute.

An excellent pass from midfielder Zineddine Derrag found Youcef El Fahli on the right wing, whose pass inside deflected through to fellow forward Slim for a finish over the head of Pyramids goalkeeper Ahmed El Shenawy and into the roof of the net.

Les Militaires hold strong on defense in CAF Champions League upset

The visitors did brilliantly to half the prolific attack of the defending champions, who had Fiston Mayele among their ranks. Goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnouti came up with a couple of excellent saves to preserve his team’s advantage by halftime.

And the value of those saves was increased when captain Mohamed Hrimat got on the end of Slim’s corner kick service to bounce a header past El Shenawy in the 54th minute. At this point the hosts from Egypt were in full panic mode.

Mayele showed up to pull a goal back in the 63rd minute but by that point, Pyramids needed two more goals in the final half hour. Against an opponent that has only allowed three goals in twelve matches in Morocco’s top flight Botola Pro, the task was too much even for the reigning African club champions.

Final whistle in Cairo! ⏸️ #TotalEnergiesCAFCL pic.twitter.com/o6lVSvctCK

— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) March 21, 2026

AS FAR held on for a 3-2 aggregate victory, advancing them to the final four where they will face either fellow Moroccan club RS Berkane or Sudanese giants Al Hilal Omdurman. The two teams played to a 1-1 first leg draw in Morocco and Al Hilal will host the second leg on Sunday in Rwanda.