Al Ahly head coach Marcel Koller maintains that luck was not on their side as they were bundled out of the 2023 African Football League by Mamelodi Sundowns.

Sundowns travelled to Cairo with a slim 1-0 first leg advantage before defying all odds to hold Ahly to a goalless draw in the second leg on Wednesday, November 1 and advance to their first final of the AFL.

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Koller insists his team was outstanding on the day but luck eluded them, even when Sundowns played the last 10 minutes of the game with a man down after Junior Mendieta’s late sending off, as they could not put the ball at the back of the net.

"We played a great game," Koller said in the post-match press conference. "I think we showed a different type of performance but I felt we were unlucky.

"The players and fans are rightfully disappointed with the result and that’s understandable. We have to improve.

"I don’t think there is a team that wins every single game or trophy. That is just part of football,” he added.

The Brazilians will now face Wydad AC in a mouth-watering final showdown after the Moroccan giants eliminated Esperance de Tunis on penalty shootouts following a 1-1 draw on aggregate.

Sundowns will travel to Morocco for the final first leg on Sunday, November 5 before welcoming Wydad in the return leg clash in South Africa on November 11.