No home-ground advantage as Mamelodi Sundowns fail to beat Caf Champions League holders Al Ahly in the first leg of the semi-final

Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Caf Champions League fixture played on Saturday.

The Brazilians struggled to get their flair in the first half despite having a lion's share of possession, as the Red Devils did everything possible to stop them from troubling their goalkeeper at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Slovenian striker Nejc Gradisar had a massive chance to find the back of the net, but his header, from Emam Ashour's cross, came off the upright with Ronwen Williams well beaten.

In the 69th minute, Al Ahly thought they had scored a vital away goal, only for the offside flag to cut short Gradisar's celebrations.

It was the same case late in the game when Marwan Attia thought he had won it, but again, he was adjudged to be in an offside position.

Any win or scoring draw in Cairo will see Sundowns through.

Lucas Suarez has been making costly mistakes for Masandawana, with the latest one coming in the 2-1 loss in the Nedbank Cup semi-final against Kaizer Chiefs.

Mosa Lebusa was preferred on Saturday night, with the Argentine dropping to the bench.

Lebusa underlined his worth by putting up a decent shift that ensured Downs kept a clean sheet at home.

Imagine having the best and experienced attackers like Lucas Ribeiro, Peter Shalulile, Iqraam Rayners, and others, but still failing to hit the target.

It is obvious, Miguel Cardoso and his technical team got it wrong in terms of creativity.

The Portuguese tactician will have to find a solution ahead of the second leg.

Masandawana will be aiming to get a favourable result in Cairo on Friday, April 25, to advance.

Interestingly, the Premier Soccer League giants have not lost any of their last three games away against the Red Devils.

They have managed a win and two draws, explaining why they will fancy their chances of getting a result at the Cairo International Stadium.