Jurcic: Pyramids deserved this title

by Staff Reporter

Tuesday Jun 03, 2025. 13:00

Pyramids head coach Krunoslav Jurcic struggled to find the words after guiding his team to a historic first-ever CAF Champions League title on June 1.

The New Cairo outfit had lost out on the Egyptian Premier League crown to Al Ahly just four days earlier, but they quickly put that disappointment behind them.

Jurcic’s side went into the second leg of the Champions League final with a slight advantage after scoring an away goal in the 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria on May 24.

Goals in each half from Fiston Mayele (23′) and Ahmed Samy (56′) secured a 2-1 victory for the hosts in Cairo on Sunday as they beat the Brazilians 3-2 on aggregate.

Jurcic acknowledged the momentous effort of his players to go all the way in Africa’s elite club competition against all odds, although the words didn’t come easy at first.

“I don’t know what to say,” the Croatian began. “We achieved the accomplishment and were able to win the African Championship, and we deserved it.

“We truly deserved this title. This trophy is a gift from God for our efforts. I want to thank the players for everything they have done. They truly deserve to be African champions.”

Jurcic claimed ahead of the second leg that Pyramids had received no support back home, but expressed his gratitude to the 15,000 fans who turned out to witness history being made.

“I thank the supporters for their presence and their unwavering support. They played a vital role in our victory,” he added.

“There were many fans who came behind the team. I asked the Egyptian fans to support us, and I thank them for coming and for giving us the energy that helped us win. We – supporters from different clubs – were all together.”