Holders Pyramids and record champions Al Ahly both crashed out of the African Champions League quarter-finals on Saturday, losing to Morocco's Royal Armed Forces and Tunisian Esperance respectively on a bleak night for Egyptian soccer.
Pyramids' 3-2 aggregate loss ended their title defense despite a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Rabat. The Egyptians won their first African Champions League crown last June, beating South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Reuters reported.
Rida Slim put the visitors ahead in the ninth minute at Cairo's 30 June Stadium before Mohamed Rabie Hrimat doubled the lead with a 54th-minute header. Fiston Mayele halved the deficit in the 62nd minute but the Egyptians could not find the equaliser that would have sent the tie straight to penalties.
"This is a historic win and a historic qualification for the club," forward Youssef El Fahli said. "We have the determination to fight for the title this season and, God willing, we'll bring home the club's second continental crown."
Royal Armed Forces will face fellow Moroccans Renaissance Berkane or Sudan's Al-Hilal in the semi-finals, hoping to move a step closer to a second continental crown after winning the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1985 when they beat AS Bilima (now AS Dragons) of then Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo.
Al Ahly, the record 12-times African champions, took a 10th-minute lead through Mahmoud Trezeguet but Esperance levelled in the 68th minute when Florian Danho drove in from outside the box past goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.
The Tunisian champions went ahead in the 78th when Mohamed Amine Tougai converted a penalty. Although Ahly drew level at 2-2 in the 84th minute via an own goal by Hamza Jelassi from a Marwan Othman header, Jelassi redeemed himself with a 94-minute winner from a Youssef Msakni corner to complete a second-leg 3-2 victory for a 4-2 win on aggregate.
Esperance will face Mamelodi Sundowns or Mali's Stade Malien in the semi-finals.
