Video: Sundowns stun Al-Ahli Saudi and are crowned half-world champions

Both sides came out attacking, and Sundowns nearly opened the scoring in the third minute. Their shot flew straight into the arms of Edouard Mendy, who gathered it comfortably.

Al-Ahli hit back quickly and came close in the 11th minute. Ziyad Al-Jehani collected a pass from Ivan Toney inside the box and struck a powerful effort against the left post, denying the Saudi side the lead.

Six minutes later, Sundowns found the net. Nuno Santos headed home in the 17th minute, punishing slack marking from the Saudi defence as the ball dropped inside the area.

Al-Ahli's answer came fast. Firas Al-Buraikan fired towards goal in the 19th minute and the Sundowns goalkeeper turned it into his own net, hauling the Saudi side straight back into the contest.

The equaliser did nothing to calm things down. Both teams pushed for a second, and Al-Ahly nearly turned it around in the 23rd minute when Ivan Toney slipped Francisco Trincão through on goal, only for the Portuguese to fire just wide of the left post.

Sundowns hit back with a scare of their own in the 33rd minute. They kept whipping crosses in behind Al-Ahly's defence, and one found a South African player who climbed to meet it with a powerful header. Édouard Mendy stood tall and kept it out, sparing his side a second goal.

Trincão popped up in the danger zone again before the break, latching onto another cross but failing to steer his header home. It flashed just centimetres past the Sundowns post.

Level at 1-1 the half ended, a contest that carried chances at both ends. Al-Ahly could have gone in ahead had they taken any of the openings that fell their way, particularly Trincão's one-on-one and Al-Juhani's shot off the post.

Both sides came out strongly after the break, with Al-Ahli probing the Sundowns goal by exploiting the spaces and working openings through the middle. Their best effort arrived in the 56th minute, and they failed to make it count.

Valentine Atangana threaded the through ball, but Al-Ahli's players couldn't deal with it cleanly. Another opportunity to edge the Saudi side ahead went begging.

Sundowns kept the pressure on at the other end. They nearly retook the lead in the 65th minute when a ball dropped to one of their players inside the box, who climbed to meet it with a header that flashed wide, with the Al-Ahli defence in obvious trouble.

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The longer it went, the more the game opened up. Gaps grew between the lines of both teams, and every attack carried the threat of settling the outcome, all the more so with Al-Ahli having spurned the chances that fell their way throughout.

The 79th minute brought a fresh blow. Sundowns doubled their lead when Modiba crossed from the right and Nuno Santos rose again inside the box to head home.

That goal wrecked Al-Ahli's ambitions. The Saudi side had been chasing a second of their own to go in front, only to find themselves trailing the African champions once more with just a few minutes left.

Al-Ahli threw everything forward in the closing stages in search of an equaliser. Sundowns held firm, dealing with every late Saudi attempt until the final whistle.

Al-Ahli went down 2-1, Nuno Santos settling the encounter with his brace. Their single goal was not enough, and the Saudi side had only themselves to blame after squandering more than one chance capable of changing the course of the contest.

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