Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane insists that his side deserved to be in the Caf Champions League final after they overcame the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance.

The Red Eagle comfortable reached the final after securing a 3-0 victory over 10-man Esperance in Cairo on Saturday.

The current holders managed to secure a 4-0 aggregate win in the semi-final through goals for Ali Maaloul, Mohamed Sherif and Hussein El Shahat, while Esperance finished the game with 10-men after Ilyes Chetti was shown his marching order in the first half.

Mosimane’s side will now face off with Kaizer Chiefs in the final, which is scheduled to be played in the Moroccan city of Casablanca.

“We didn’t start the game very well. We were a little bit nervous and anxious. However, football is not about how you start, but it is about how to finish,” Mosimane told his club’s official website.

“We have to be honest, the red card helped us. It happened early, and it was well deserved.

“I told the players and told you on Friday that it will be an open game. However, we managed to have the upper hand in both games.

“Using VAR in the games is a very positive thing, as it preserves all the teams’ rights. There are some mistakes that the referees cannot see during the game, just as what happened with Hussien El Shahat’s goal.

“Esperance is a big team and we respect them a lot, but after conceding the first goal, the game was further complicated on them.

“Al Ahly put on a strong performance tonight and we managed to reach the Caf Champions League final. Also, I am so glad that reached the final with Al Ahly for the second consecutive year.

“We feel good because we are in the final, but we have to be honest, we expected to be in the final. Not only because we are a big team, but because we played to reach the final. We scored three goals against Mamelodi Sundowns, four against Esperance, and five goals against Wydad last year. We are a big team.

“I respect all those clubs, but Al Ahly is a great team and we deserve to reach the CAF Champions League final.

“Kaizer Chiefs Is one of the biggest teams in South Africa in terms of popularity and the club is bigger than Sundowns. They have a bigger support base than Sundowns.

“They are a good team, and you just have to respect them. They scored four goals against Simba but conceded 3 goals. It is not easy to describe them.”