JOHANNESBURG, Jan 19, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Title-holders Al Ahly of Egypt surrendered a 20-match unbeaten home record in the CAF Champions League on Saturday when losing 2-1 to surprise Group C winners Orlando Pirates of South Africa.

Mouloudia Alger of Algeria secured a quarter-finals place and Al Hilal of Sudan and Esperance of Tunisia clinched first places in other groups as six final-round matches produced 24 goals.

Substitute Tshegofatso Mabasa condemned record 12-time African champions Ahly to a shock defeat in Cairo when he headed a Kabelo Dlamini cross into the net on 83 minutes.

Relebohile Mofokeng had put Pirates ahead on 53 minutes and Hussein el Shahat equalised 16 minutes later soon after coming off the bench.

It was the first home loss by Ahly in the premier African club competition since losing to another South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns, in the 2021-2022 group phase.

Despite the setback, Ahly joined Pirates in the quarter-finals, having finished runners-up in the four-club mini-league, four points behind the Soweto outfit.

Pirates, who won the annual competition in 1995 when it was called the African Cup of Champions Clubs, garnered 14 points from six matches.

Ahly collected 10 points, Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria nine and 1966 champions Stade Abidjan of the Ivory Coast one.

- Unconvincing campaign -

It was an unconvincing group campaign by Ahly, who suffered their first Champions League defeat in 28 matches when falling to Belouizdad in Algiers two weeks ago.

The transfers of star defender Mohamed Abdelmonem to Nice and South African attacker Percy Tau to Qatar SC and a string of injuries have upset the plans of Swiss coach Marcel Koller.

Mouloudia, who in 1976 became the first African champions from Algeria, needed a point from a visit to Young Africans of Tanzania to advance from Group A and drew 0-0 in Dar es Salaam.

The home side dominated possession and forced 14 corners, but struggled throughout to create clearcut chances against a well-organised defence.

Already-qualified Hilal fielded a weakened team away to bottom club TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the same section and suffered a 4-0 hammering in Lubumbashi.

But Hilal, based in Mauritania because of the Sudanese civil war, still topped the final standings with 10 points. Mouloudia had nine, Young Africans eight and Mazembe five.

Group D table-toppers Esperance and runners-up Pyramids, who both secured quarter-finals places last weekend, won convincingly at home.

Achraf Jabri scored a hat-trick in his first Champions League start as Esperance beat Sagrada Esperanca of Angola 4-1 in Rades while Pyramids walloped Djoliba of Mali 6-0 in Cairo.

Esperance edged Pyramids on head-to-head records after both accumulated 13 points. Sagrada secured five points and winless Djoliba two.