Pitsoball has Al-Ahly fans dancing in the streets of Cairo

● Pleased with himself, he grabs the buckle of his belt while he puffs out his chest and proudly soaks in the adulation from the audience.

You wonder about the source of his pleasure.

Well, the man mountain is chuffed with the distance the log he threw travelled, even though it flew only a couple of metres from his feet.

Next up is his vertically challenged competitor who we shall call Tiny Tot. He is so short his kilt almost reaches his ankles.

Tiny Tot throws the log so far it flies all the way into a lake where two men are in a canoe fishing, leaving one exclaiming: “Did you see that Jimmy?”

“You threw that miles away,” cries man mountain in surprise.

“That's nothing. Look. Jock, fetch.”

The gallery erupts in laughter as the chocolate advert comes to an end.

In a different cauldron a real-life advert played out.

Location?

Cairo International Stadium.

Occasion?

Confederation of African Football Champions League semifinal between Al Ahly and Wydad Casablanca.

Enjoying a 2-0 lead from the first encounter, Al Ahly took a step closer to closing a seven-year barren spell by capturing the most coveted prize of continental club football.

Pitso Mosimane is the brains behind the onslaught which saw the Red Devils complete a 5-1 aggregate victory on

Friday night.

Last Saturday, when Ahly won away, Mosimane shook the bogey as he had never failed to beat the Moroccans during eight years with Mamelodi Sundowns.

Mosimane registered his second victory over Wydad in a week during a performance that saw the Reds reduce their opponents to headless chickens

We played better in the first leg but we still haven’t reached the level I’m aspiring to

with a 41-pass passage of play.

“Pass the ball. Just pass the ball. Just pass,” Mosimane can be heard instructing his players to retain the ball in rotation.

Pitsoball they coo in Cairo as they edge ever so close to that which both club and coach crave the most.

It was pleasing to the eye, those touchand-pass moves.

But unlike the man mountain in the chocolate ad, Mosimane is not easily excitable despite what many may consider a near faultless effort.

“We performed well in both home and away games against Wydad,” said Mosimane. “We played better in the first leg but we still haven’t reached the level I’m aspiring to, also our passing wasn’t on point.”

This was despite the Reds being able to make 41 passes when they were 2-0 up as early as the 37th minute.

“We still have a lot of work to do in the coming period. We’ll flip the page on Wydad as we have a lot of work to do in preparation for the final.

“Al Ahly reached the final on several occasions in the last seven years but failed to win any. Hopefully we’ll return with the title this time around.”

That title will have to be won against either Zamalek or Raja Casablanca who must still play in the second-leg semifinal — Zamalek won 1-0 at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.

But Mosimane will have to wait a little longer to learn the identity of his opponents in his second Champions League final in four years.

The coronavirus hit the Raja camp, affecting several members of their team. It led to the reverse fixture being postponed by eight days to November 1.

It gives Mosimane more time to prepare for the final, more time to polish the passing game to his satisfaction.

An absolutely amazing affair in prospect if Zamalek triumph over Raja and the South African that is Pitso Mosimane presides over an Egyptian encounter and emerges a winner in the biggest game in African football. Few will begrudge him grabbing the buckle of his belt, puffing out his chest and soaking in the adulation from the audience.