Maseko finally opened the scoring 52 minutes into the game. He scored an incredible goal from outside the box.
Khuliso Mudau almost doubled the lead in the 70th minute but was denied by the keeper from close range.
The return leg will be played on Wednesday 1 November at Cairo International Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8pm.
Mamelodi Sundowns edged Al Ahly 1-0 on Sunday in the African Football League semifinal, first leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, setting up what promises to be a thrilling second leg in Cairo.
Thapelo Maseko scored the only goal of the match with a cracker in the 52nd minute.
The last time the two teams faced each other was last season in the CAF Champions League group stages. Sundowns outclassed their opponents to win 5-2 in Pretoria. The two sides had drawn 2-2 in Cairo.
Coach Rulani Mokwena only made one change to the team that drew 0-0 against Petro Luanda last time. Grant Kekana replaced Mothobi Mvala, who was shown a straight red card against the Angolans.
Masandawana had seven players ruled out due to injury setbacks. These are Thapelo Morena, Siyanda Nyanga, Sipho Mbule, Bathusi Aubaas, Lucas Ribeiro, Abubeker Nasir and Peter Shalulile.
On the other hand, the Red Devils made two changes from a team that played out a 1-1 draw against Simba of Tanzania. The duo of Reda Slim and Salah Mohsen came in for Hussein El Shahat and Karaba.
It was a tight affair at the beginning of the clash as both teams were looking for an early goal to settle in. The two sides were playing attacking football though they remained disciplined and solid at the back.
Sundowns started dominating as the game progressed. However, they couldn’t find the back of the net despite creating many goalscoring opportunities.
Thapelo Maseko in action for Mamelodi Sundowns
The teams went on the break deadlocked at 0-0, but the hosts were better with a ball possession of 72,4 per cent as compared to 27,6 of Al Ahly.
After the break, Aubrey Modiba tried his luck from outside the box, but his effort went wide.
