FAR Rabat knock out defending champions Pyramids to secure CAF Champions League semi-final berth

The defeat brought an end to Pyramids' defence of their title, following a 1-1 draw in the opening leg in Rabat. The Egyptian team lifted their maiden African Champions League trophy last June by overcoming Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa.

Rida Slim opened the scoring for the visitors in the ninth minute at Cairo's 30 June Stadium, then Mohamed Rabie Hrimat extended the advantage with a header in the 54th-minute.

Fiston Mayele reduced the arrears in the 62nd minute, yet the Egyptians failed to net the leveller that would have forced a penalty shootout, with FAR Rabat standing resolute.

"This marks a historic victory and a landmark qualification for the club," striker Youssef El Fahli stated to beIN Sports. "We possess the resolve to compete for the championship this year and, with God's grace, we shall deliver the club's second continental title."

FAR Rabat are set to encounter either Moroccan counterparts RS Berkane or Sudan's Al Hilal in the semi-finals, seeking to edge nearer to a second continental triumph after their 1985 success in the African Cup of Champions Clubs, where they defeated AS Bilima (presently AS Dragons) from what was then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.