Al Ahly head coach Marcel Koller has discussed the team’s semi-final exit from the African Football League against Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday night.

Sundowns held firm against the North African giants in Cairo to complete a 1-0 aggregate victory and advance to the final, where they will face Wydad Casablanca. A goalless draw at the Cairo International Stadium sealed Sundowns’ progression after last week’s first-leg win, setting up an intriguing all-North African title decider.

Al Ahly piled on huge pressure from the outset as Percy Tau forced a good early save before winning a penalty which Ronwen Williams saved. The Egyptian giants quickly had the ball in the net too but Tau was denied by an offside flag after rounding the keeper.

Koller has now praised his players for putting up a good show against Sundowns insisting they were the better side and should have scored three goals in the first half of the contest.

“We were the better team, it was Al Ahly that played football, we had a fantastic first half, and it should have ended 3-0,” Koller said in the press conference, adding: “I understand the disappointment of the fans and the players but this is football, sometimes it surprises you, in football you can’t win every match, I won’t win everything all the time.”

He continued: “Today’s loss we did everything we could, I have to defend my players and protect them, we only lacked luck, there’s is no team that wins all the time.”

Wydad will now stand between the South Africans and the $4 million prize for AFL’s inaugural champion.