Portuguese forward Nuno Santos scored both goals for the South African champions at Loftus Versfeld, sealing progression to the next stage of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Santos opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a well-taken header from a Teboho Mokoena cross. Al Ahli responded almost immediately when a deflection off goalkeeper Ronwen Williams resulted in an own goal, levelling the scores at 1-1.
Sundowns continued to dominate large periods of the match and eventually found the winner in the 79th minute. Santos completed his brace with another precise header, this time assisted by Thabang Matuludi, to restore the lead.
The Brazilian-coached side held firm in the closing stages to secure a significant result against the Asian Champions League winners. The victory means Sundowns will now advance to face either Mexican side Toluca or the CONMEBOL champions in the next round of the competition.
The result marks another landmark achievement for the Pretoria club on the intercontinental stage and underlines their status as Africa’s leading side.