{"id":64501,"date":"2025-11-23T20:16:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T20:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match"},"modified":"2025-11-23T20:54:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T20:54:54","slug":"pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match","title":{"rendered":"Pyramids FC Surges Past Rivers United in CAFCL Match"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>Rivers United endured a difficult outing on Saturday as defending champions Pyramids FC powered to a 3\u20130 victory, with Egyptian striker Ahmed Atef El Sayed delivering a stunning second-half hat-trick in their continental clash.<\/p>\n

The Pride of Rivers held their own for much of the first half, keeping shape and denying the reigning African champions any clear openings.<\/p>\n

Both sides battled intensely in midfield, and Rivers United looked disciplined, particularly in transition, as the opening 45 minutes ended goalless.<\/p>\n

However, the second half told a different story.<\/p>\n

Pyramids returned from the break with sharper movement and greater attacking intent, placing Rivers United under sustained pressure.<\/p>\n

That breakthrough arrived in the 52nd minute when Ahmed Atef pounced from close range to put the hosts ahead, capitalising on a defensive lapse inside the box.<\/p>\n

Just five minutes later, the forward doubled Pyramids\u2019 advantage with a brilliant header into the top-right corner, finishing off a precise through ball from Karim Hafez.<\/p>\n

The goal visibly unsettled Rivers United, who struggled to regain their composure as the momentum swung firmly in favour of the champions.<\/p>\n

Rivers United\u2019s attempts to push forward were repeatedly cut out by Pyramids\u2019 compact midfield, and the Nigerians paid the price again in the 72nd minute.<\/p>\n

Mohamed Reda carved open their defence with a well-timed pass, allowing Atef to slot home his third of the night with a composed right-footed finish into the bottom-left corner.<\/p>\n

From that moment, Pyramids FC controlled the tempo, dictating possession and denying Rivers United any real chance of a comeback.<\/p>\n

The Port Harcourt side laboured to break down the Egyptian champions\u2019 defensive structure but found no way through.<\/p>\n

The 3\u20130 defeat marks a setback for Rivers United, who will now need to regroup quickly as the competition intensifies.<\/p>\n

Despite the loss, the Nigerian side remains in contention and will look to respond strongly in their upcoming fixtures.<\/p>\n

For Pyramids, the emphatic win reinforces their credentials as top contenders for back-to-back continental titles\u2014while Rivers United face the task of bouncing back from a tough night in Cairo.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. Rivers United endured a difficult outing on Saturday as defending champions Pyramids FC powered to a 3\u20130 victory, with Egyptian striker Ahmed Atef El Sayed delivering a stunning second-half hat-trick in their continental clash. The Pride of Rivers held their own for much of the first half, keeping shape and denying the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":64500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[245],"class_list":["post-64501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\nPyramids FC Surges Past Rivers United in CAFCL Match - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rivers United endured a difficult outing on Saturday as defending champions Pyramids FC powered to a 3\u20130 victory, with E ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pyramids FC Surges Past Rivers United in CAFCL Match\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rivers United endured a difficult outing on Saturday as defending champions Pyramids FC powered to a 3\u20130 victory, with E ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-23T20:16:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-23T20:54:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1763918526.004532.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1475\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1163\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Pyramids FC Surges Past Rivers United in CAFCL Match\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-23T20:16:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-23T20:54:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match\"},\"wordCount\":360,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/11\/sm_1763918526.004532.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Lesotho\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/pyramids-fc-surges-past-rivers-united-in-cafcl-match\",\"name\":\"Pyramids FC Surges Past Rivers United in CAFCL Match - 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