Former Al Ahly star Walid Soliman has disclosed some surprising advice his former coach Pitso Mosimane once gave to the players to outsmart South African teams in the CAF Champions League.
Mosimane dedicated nearly two years to the Egyptian Premier League giants, where he won a number of titles, including two Champions League trophies.
Soliman, who has since retired, worked with the ex-Mamelodi Sundowns coach between 2020 and 2022, during which they secured two Champions League titles together.
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Under Mosimane's leadership, the Red Devils triumphed over Mamelodi Sundowns once, while they suffered two defeats and shared the spoils on one occasion.
Ahead of this season's Champions League semi-finals, featuring two South African teams and two Egyptian clubs, Soliman revealed what Mosimane told Ahly players at the time.
"It's a very difficult match, and the coach [Marcel Koller] and players must know that the match will be divided into two halves, one in South Africa and the other in Cairo," Soliman per Btolat.com.
"South African teams get tired quickly. We faced Sundowns and Orlando a lot, and they get tired when they find the opponent closing the field.
"You can launch a counterattack or exploit a mistake. They are not like Al Ahly and Zamalek, and that was what Mosimane said," he added.
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"Mosimane always told us that South African clubs get bored, and we shouldn't get bored with our positions or the way we play defensively, and we should remain committed, because the opportunity will come because they get bored quickly."
Ahly and Pyramids FC could make use of the advice shared by Mosimane as they gear up for their forthcoming second-leg semi-final matches against Sundowns and Pirates, respectively.
In the first legs, the Buccaneers played to a goalless draw with Pyramids. Meanwhile, Downs and Ahly also could not score any goals in their clash in SA.
