Johannesburg - Welcome to hell. Not so long ago, that sign greeted South African clubs when they touched down at Cairo International Airport with the mighty Al-Ahly and Zamalek awaiting them.
What made that “sign” powerful was that it wasn’t written anywhere at the airport. It was in the minds of those clubs who always returned home having been spanked. That was until Orlando Pirates removed the mental chains by taming the Red Devils – Al-Ahly.
”I think he turning point for us (South Africa) was when we beat Al-Ahly 3-0 in El Gouna (in the 2013 CAF Champions League group stage),” said Teboho Moloi who served as Pirates’ assistant coach in their four trips to Egypt in the last three years.
“We removed the fear factor because it showed that they weren’t invincible. We did it because of the determination and the team work that we showed. In my years at Pirates I have never seen a team that determined because we not only reached the final of the Champions League but we also were in the final of every domestic competition. In 1995 we might have won the Champions League, but we couldn’t balance it with the domestic league where we struggled.”
The Buccaneers didn’t fully exorcise the Al-Ahly demon. It woke up more menacing in the final of the Champions League where they denied Pirates their second continental title. But that victory removed the aura of invincibility Egyptian teams had over South Africa.
It was the first time that Al-Ahly had been beaten at home by a South African team. It was also the first time in over a decade that they had lost at home in the Champions League.
After that, it was easy for the Buccaneers to wipe the floor with them in Suez last year in the semi-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup.
That victory took a lot out of the Buccaneers because Al-Ahly weren’t fasting like it was the case in 2013. Pirates came from 2-0 down to win 4-3 and reach the final.
Thanks to Pirates success, when Mamelodi Sundowns touched down in Cairo on Wednesday there was no sign welcoming them to hell just before they take on Zamalek on Sunday.
What greeted them was knowing that a positive result could put the Brazilians in the knockout stage in a group that has turned into a two-horse race between them and Zamalek. Enyimba are waddling behind.
The Brazilians have shown huge improvement from the side that struggled against Medeama in Ghana, getting knocked out in the CAF Confederation Cup play-offs after they dropped from the Champions League.
Luckily for them AS Vita were kicked out of the last eight for fielding a suspended player, making way for Sundowns who were greeted by a hellish group.
“I have to admit that when we heard that we were grouped with Zamalek and Al-Ahly, after we got knocked out by Angola's Recreativo do Libolo in the preliminary round the year before, we were scared,” Moloi said.
“We knew we were faced with a mammoth task because those teams make up the Egyptian national team that many teams struggle to beat in the continent.
But we had the right attitude because after asking ourselves what our chances were, we said that 'we are tired of being bullied' by these teams. It was about time that a South Africa club taught them a lesson.”
The Star