Croatian tactician Krunoslav Jurcic wrote his name in the history books of African football on Sunday, June 1, after guiding Pyramids FC to a historic first-ever CAF Champions League title.
Jurcic becomes the first coach from his country to win the enviable CAF Champions League trophy.
The outstanding feat 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.
Juric led his Pyramids FC side into the second leg of this season’s CAF Champions League final today, determined to overcome a strong Mamelodi Sundowns side favoured for the trophy.
With a show of determination on the pitch, the Egyptian club got the job done to secure the trophy.
Pyramids FC opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Fiston Mayele capitalised on a rebound at the edge of the box and fired a low shot past Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to give the hosts an early lead.
The Cairo-based club doubled their advantage in the 56th minute. Mohamed Chibi delivered a pinpoint cross into the box, finding Ahmed Samy unmarked.
Samy’s powerful header flew into the net, but celebrations were briefly put on hold as referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan consulted VAR to check for a possible offside in the build-up. After the review, the goal stood, much to the delight of the home fans.
Mamelodi Sundowns pulled one back in the 76th minute when Iqraam Rayners pounced on a loose ball inside the box and smashed it into the bottom left corner.
Pyramids FC held firm to secure a historic 2-1 win on the night and a 3-2 aggregate triumph to lift the trophy.
