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Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane has sent a stern warning to Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance after the Reds secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Despite a dramatic 2-2 draw with Sudanese team Al-Merrikh, Al Ahly managed to reach the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League as runner-up alongside leaders Simba.
The Reds will probably now face one of the Mamelodi Sundowns, Wydad Casablanca or Espérance; however, only the South African team is confirmed to qualify as the group winner.
But Pitso Mosimane doesn’t care who his opponent will be, stating that no team will expect to face the Red Devils in the knockout rounds.
In his pre-match press conference, Mosimane said: “Al Ahly played a great match against Al-Merrikh, and the match was open by both sides, as expected.
“The game witnessed several missed opportunities that if our players used them better, the outcome of the match would have been different.
“The end result is completely fair for Al Ahly and Al-Merreikh, depending on the events of the match.
“Al Ahly made mistakes and some players appeared badly, which affected the team in general, and for that I made several changes in the second half.
“I knew that the game did not end in the first half and I was confident in the players’ ability to come back.
“No one can predict the champion based on performance. None of the teams ranked at the top of their group wants to face Al Ahly.
“Al Ahly is a great team that has nine CAF Champions League titles to its name, and today we qualify for the quarterfinals, to continue the path of defending the title,” he added.
