Takeaways from the Petro de Luanda vs. Al Ahly Ly semi-final clash

In a breathtaking encounter between two familiar foes, Al Ahly Ly failed for the third time in a row to beat Petro de Luanda. 

The Libyan champions dominated the second semi-final of the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) for most of the game, but when it mattered most, Petro de Luanda rose to the occasion to reach the BAL final for the fourth time.

This article highlights some of the most notable moments that defined the second semi-final and shaped the outlook of the 2026 BAL season.

Dundao’s second ever block

Childe Dundao is widely regarded as one of the most talented playmakers to have played in the BAL. He typically creates shooting opportunities for himself and others. He is also known for his aggressive defence, often disrupting opponents' offence with his steals. But blocking shots? That’s unheard of for the 5-foot-7 point guard.

However, with Petro de Luanda in real need of a boost to their semi-final chances against Al Ahly Ly, Dundao came up a block against the 6-foot Charlie Moore. 

Dundao’s defensive play caused a furor at the BK Arena, and it turned out to be his second ever block in BAL history. During the 2024 BAL final against Al Ahly Ly, Dundao blocked Majok Deng’s shot, keeping the game tied at 75–75 at the end of the third quarter.

Al Ahly Ly limited to scoring low for the second time

Al Ahly Ly reached the 2026 BAL semi-final as the highest-scoring team, averaging 101 points per game. 

However, Petro de Luanda limited them to just 88 points — the second time this has happened since their 88-87 defeat of Club Africain in the first round of the quarter-finals.

Al Ahly Ly’s winning streak comes to an end

The Libyan champions went into Thursday’s semi-final having won their last five games, dating back to 31 March when they recorded their first victory of the season (118–97) against Dar City in the Kalahari Conference. 

However, Petro de Luanda not only ended Al Ahly Libya’s winning streak, but they also prevented them from reaching the BAL Final for the second time since 2024.

Petro used fifth different starting line-up of the season

Petro de Luanda are known for their deep rotation of nine to ten players per game. What makes this even more intriguing is that they have used five different starting line-ups in their last eight games this season, achieving more wins than losses.

The most regular starting lineup, which has been used three times, consists of Gerson Domingos, Gerson Gonçalves, Milton Valente, Cleusino Castro and Aboubacar Gakou. 

In the semi-final against Al Ahly Ly, coach Sergio Valdeolmillos used his fifth starting line-up, consisting of Gerson Domingos, Gerson Gonçalves, Chasson Randle, Cleusino Castro and Aboubacar Gakou.

Childe Dundao closing in on the all-time leading scorers 

Childe Dundao became the third all-time leading scorer at 500 with his 26 points in Petro de Luanda’s 94-88 win over Al Ahly Ly.

Al Ahly Ly drop to 0-3 in head-to-head against Petro de Luanda

Ever since they first faced off in the 2024 BAL Final, Al Ahly have been unable to defeat Petro de Luanda.

The Libyan side has been coached by three different coaches — Ivan Jermic (Serbian), Ahmed Soliman (Egyptian) and Fotios Katsikaris (Greek) — but none of them have been able to overcome Sergio Valdeolmillos’ Petro.

Al Ahly Ly’s bench struggles continued

It's hard to imagine a clearer indication of Al Ahly Ly’s rotation issues than having four of their starters play for 32 minutes or more.

For the fifth time in eight games, Al Ahly Ly’s bench was outscored by a large margin. 

In a do-or-die semi-final, Al Ahly Ly’s bench contributed just 15 points compared to Petro’s 49. Al Ahly Ly’s struggles deepened even further when Mohamed Sadi, who had played for 32 minutes, fouled out later in the fourth.

Al Ahly Ly set to meet Al Ahly SC in Third-Place Game

After losing to Petro de Luanda for the third time since 2024, Al Ahly Ly will play Egypt’s Al Ahly SC in the 2026 BAL Third-Place Game on Sunday 31 May.

This will be the fourth clash between the two teams since Al Ahly Ly's 86-77 victory in the 2024 quarter-finals. Prior to that, Al Ahly SC won the first two games during the Nile Conference in Cairo.

Petro back in the BAL final for the fourth time

By beating Al Ahly Ly, Petro de Luanda improved their season record to 6–2 and secured a place in the BAL Final for the third consecutive time and the fourth time overall.

BAL Trophy going elsewhere

Libya’s Alahli Tripoli won the 2025 BAL title, but this season's title will not be going to Libya following Al Ahly Ly's semi-finals to Petro.

No Road to BAL in the Final

Petro's victory over Al-Ahly Ly also puts an end to the possibility of a team from the Road to the BAL reaching the final for the third consecutive year.

Both Al Ahly Ly and Alahli Tripoli, who qualified via the FIBA-run Road to BAL qualifiers, reached the BAL Final in 2024 and 2025 respectively. 

No former MVP in the 2026 Final

The possibility of a former BAL MVP winning the award for the second time came to an end on Thursday.

Prior to Al Ahly Ly’s Jo Lual Acuil taking home the prestigious award in 2024, Nuni Omot won the BAL MVP award after helping Al Ahly SC to the 2023 title. 

However, both Acuil and Omot are now out of the running for the title.

Last season’s MVP Jean Jacques Boissy suffered a foot injury prior to the 2026 BAL Playoffs, ruling him out for the rest of the season. 

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