Sundowns, Morocco's Wydad Squeeze Into African Football League Final

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - CAF Champions League - Final - Al-Ahly v Wydad Casablanca - Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco - May 30, 2022 Wydad Casablanca coach and his players celebrate with the trophy after winning the CAF Champions League REUTERS/Juan Medina Acquire Licensing Rights
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - CAF Champions League - Final - Al-Ahly v Wydad Casablanca - Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco - May 30, 2022 Wydad Casablanca coach and his players celebrate with the trophy after winning the CAF Champions League REUTERS/Juan Medina Acquire Licensing Rights
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Sundowns, Morocco's Wydad Squeeze Into African Football League Final

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - CAF Champions League - Final - Al-Ahly v Wydad Casablanca - Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco - May 30, 2022 Wydad Casablanca coach and his players celebrate with the trophy after winning the CAF Champions League REUTERS/Juan Medina Acquire Licensing Rights
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - CAF Champions League - Final - Al-Ahly v Wydad Casablanca - Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco - May 30, 2022 Wydad Casablanca coach and his players celebrate with the trophy after winning the CAF Champions League REUTERS/Juan Medina Acquire Licensing Rights

Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco reached the inaugural African Football League final after gripping semi-final second legs on Wednesday.

Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams saved a penalty and Egyptian side Al Ahly struck the woodwork in a 0-0 draw in Cairo that gave the club from Pretoria a 1-0 aggregate victory, AFP reported.

In Rades, Esperance of Tunisia edged Wydad 1-0 on the night through a Rodrigo Rodrigues goal, but he had his penalty saved in a shoot-out, which the Moroccans won 5-4 after a 1-1 aggregate draw.

Wydad will have home advantage on Sunday in the first leg of a final offering four million dollars to the winners, with the return match on November 11.

The showdown will be a repeat of a 2023 CAF Champions League semi-final, which the Casablanca club won on away goals after two draws.

In Cairo, record 11-time Champions League titleholders Ahly were given an early scoring chance when Williams fouled former Sundowns star Percy Tau and the referee pointed to the spot.

After a lengthy delay while Sundowns protested the decision, veteran Tunisian Ali Maaloul saw his low kick pushed away by the South African international shot-stopper.

Williams was struggling with crosses, though, and when he dropped one, Mahmoud Kahraba almost netted for the Cairo Red Devils.

Tau was unlucky when his fierce close-range shot rattled the crossbar, and the South African side were grateful to still be ahead on aggregate at the break.

Sundowns performed better in the second half only to put themselves under pressure in the final six minutes of regular time when substitute Junior Mendieta was shown a straight red card.

The Argentine had been on the pitch just a few minutes when he was guilty of a studs-up tackle that caught Akram Tawfik just below the knee.

Heated Ahly claims for an added-time penalty, when the handball offence was committed just outside the box, were waved away by the outstanding Senegalese referee after a VAR check.

On the outskirts of Tunis, Brazilian Rodrigues cancelled the one-goal lead Wydad had taken into the second leg with an unstoppable header on 66 minutes.

He had the ball in the net again after 88 minutes, but VAR revealed that a teammate had strayed offside in the build-up and the goal was disallowed.

Rodrigues, a recent signing from Brazilian second-tier club Juventude, was the only player who failed to score in the shoot-out.

His spot kick lacked power and Wydad goalkeeper Youssef El Motie went the right way to pull off what proved to be the crucial save.

Senegalese substitute Bouly Sambou won the shoot-out for Wydad when he gave 19-year-old Esperance goalkeeper Amanallah Memmiche no chance with a powerful drive into the net.



Verstappen Not Happy with Tsunoda-Lawson Red Bull Swap

Max Verstappen tells reporters at Suzuka that it was "not a mistake" that he put a "like" on a social media post criticizing Red Bull's driver switch. Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP
Max Verstappen tells reporters at Suzuka that it was "not a mistake" that he put a "like" on a social media post criticizing Red Bull's driver switch. Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP
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Verstappen Not Happy with Tsunoda-Lawson Red Bull Swap

Max Verstappen tells reporters at Suzuka that it was "not a mistake" that he put a "like" on a social media post criticizing Red Bull's driver switch. Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP
Max Verstappen tells reporters at Suzuka that it was "not a mistake" that he put a "like" on a social media post criticizing Red Bull's driver switch. Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP

Max Verstappen confirmed Thursday he was unhappy with Red Bull's ruthless driver swap for the Japanese Grand Prix, saying his endorsement of a social media post criticizing the move "speaks for itself".

The four-time world champion has a new teammate at Suzuka after Yuki Tsunoda replaced the underperforming Liam Lawson two weeks into the Formula One season.

Red Bull have been criticized for not giving Lawson enough time, with former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde saying on social media that the move was "bullying, or a panic move".

Verstappen put a "like" on Van der Garde's post and told reporters that it was "not a mistake".

"I liked the comment, the text, so I guess it speaks for itself, right?" Verstappen said at the Suzuka Circuit,

"Everything has been shared with the team, how I think about everything.

"Sometimes it's not necessary to always share and say everything in public. I think it's better."

Lawson had been promoted from Red Bull's sister team RB at the end of last season and now returns, with Tsunoda going the other way, AFP said.

Lawson's two races for Red Bull, in Melbourne and Shanghai, were at tracks on which he had never raced before.

"I think for rookies, always at the beginning of the season, you have the calendar nowadays, and F1 is very tough," said Verstappen.

"Because most of the tracks, they haven't really driven on, or they maybe have a sprint weekend.

"So all these scenarios, they don't help."

Verstappen is second in the drivers' championship, eight points behind Lando Norris of McLaren, after finishing second in Australia and fourth in China.

McLaren won both GPs and clearly have a performance edge over a Red Bull regarded as tricky to drive, but Verstappen has won the Japanese Grand Prix for the last three years.

"I think our main issue is that our car is not where we want it to be," Verstappen said.

"I think everyone knows that within the team as well, and that's what I focus on, to be honest."