- Al-Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane said a raft of changes made by Mamelodi Sundowns in the second half was the raising of the white flag.
- Star players Thapelo Morena, Themba Zwane and Gaston Sirino were all taken off in the second half of the 1-1 draw between the teams at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium.
- Mosimane also said the advantage of topping your group and starting the playoffs away was overrated.
Al-Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane said he knew their CAF Champions League quarter-final tie against his former club Mamelodi Sundowns was as good as won when key players Thapelo Morena, Gaston Sirino and Themba Zwane were taken off the field.
In Saturday's 1-1 draw at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium that guaranteed the club of the century passage into the semi-finals, Mosimane said the second-half replacement of the players played right into his hands.
It forced a tactical change from Sundowns that meant they needed to use high balls instead of trying to lock the resolute Al-Ahly defence.
"When Sirino, Thapelo and Themba go out, those are the problem players. You could see in the first half with all of their interplays," Mosimane said.
"When you bring in different personnel, you have to cross the ball and I have big boys there to deal with the crosses, along with a big goalkeeper.
"That was what I wanted and that was the best thing ever for me, but I don't want to be talking too much."
Mosimane said finishing first in your group and having the away leg of your play-off game may not always work to your advantage.
In the first legs of the quarter-finals last week, three of the four group winners lost their away games, with only Wydad Casablanca overturning their deficit against CR Belouizdad.
Even then, they needed penalties to get past the Algerians while Simba SC's 3-0 win against Kaizer Chiefs wasn't enough to overturn their 4-0 first leg defeat.
"When you come first in your group, you mentally think you're the best team, but sometimes, the teams you meet in the group stages aren't all that strong," Mosimane said.
"The big teams will always top the groups, but what we realised was that the minute we had the initial away game, you think you can solve things at home.
"How many times have I sat on this seat having lost? It doesn't happen, so you must win at home because you transfer the stress."
While not hinting at what was the exact turning point of the tie, Mosimane said hubris has never and will never win soccer matches.
"This thing of saying Al-Ahly doesn't have the best defence is not right. Who has the best defence? We scored three goals," Mosimane said.
"You can say anything, like saying this player is better than the other, but football has many components that determine the outcome.
"On Friday, we worked hard on the set-pieces and we've got the personnel to make it work."