African Champions League finalists Pyramids put on a convincing showing on Wednesday as they completed their Egyptian league programme with a 5-1 away win over Ceramica Cleopatra, only four days before they host Mamelodi Sundowns in the second leg of the continental club competition final.
Pyramids had been hoping to get a postponement before Sunday’s second leg to allow them to concentrate on preparing for Sundowns, who they meet at the Air Defence Stadium in Cairo on Sunday (live on SuperSport, kick-off at 7pm).
But the Egyptian Football Association ordered them to go ahead with the game, forcing coach Krunoslav Jurcic to make six changes from last Saturday’s Champions League final first leg at Loftus Versfeld where Pyramids grabbed a last-gasp equaliser for a 1-1 stalemate.
On Wednesday in Ismailia, Abdelrahman Magdi opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 14th minute, but the home side squared the score with a penalty of their own eight minutes later.
Marwan Hamdi quickly restored Pyramids’ lead before Egyptian international fullback Mohamed Hamdi was sent off late in the first half, forcing Pyramids to play the majority of the match down to 10 men.
After the break, Magdi grabbed his second before Jurcic’s side got two more goals in the last eight minutes of the match from substitute Youssef Ibrahim and Congolese striker Fiston Mayele.
Pyramids finished the Egyptian Premier League season as runners-up with 56 points, two behind champions Al Ahly, who routed Pharco 6-0 also on Wednesday with four goals for Wissam Abou Ali for a record-extending 45th league title.
But Pyramids are disputing the outcome of the domestic championship, reportedly filing a protest at the Court of Arbitration for Sport demanding three points to be deducted from the champions for failing to show up for a match against arch-rivals Zamalek.
The Egyptian Professional Football Club Association had punished Al Ahly with a three-point deduction for not playing the match in March – after the club’s request for foreign officials was turned down – but backed down after the Cairo-based club complained to the local Olympic Committee.
If CAS upholds their appeal and deducts three points from Ahly, Pyramids could yet be crowned league champions. A verdict is expected in the coming months.