Compliments of the new season to all followers of Zimbofutball.online and of the world’s most beautiful game across the great motherland of the beautiful continent of Africa. The new year could not have started any better as the CAF champions league was in session with continental juggernauts vying for places in the knockout stages.
Tshwane giants Mamelodi Sundowns had destiny in their hands going into match day 6 where they had a date on home turf with Moroccan counterparts FAR Rabat, with both teams competing to claim top spot of their respective group.
Mamelodi Sundowns also had at the back of their minds that defeat coupled with a win for Raja Casablanca against DR Congo outfit AS Maniema would all but end their hopes of going into the knockout stage. Complacency was therefore something the Brazilians could not afford, not that there is ever room for such at a club of the stature of Masandawana.
Loftus Versefield was a sea of yellow as the Sundowns faithful turned out in their thousands to cheer their boys and cheer their boys they did as veteran striker Peter Shalulile opened the scoring the 12th minute.
The Brazilians gaffer Miguel Cardoso seems to be instilling into the Sundowns players the aspect of game management, which is most crucial in tournament football, as he put it in one of his pressers “defensive football wins you titles” and they managed to hold on to that slender lead until a schoolboy error cost them in the 83rd minute with Rabat equalizing.
The Portuguese gaffer was not too impressed however as the match ended in a stalemate with the Brazilians securing a place in the last 8 of the champions where they were joined by another South African club in the Buccaneers Orlando Pirates who won their group beating Cairo giants and record champions league winners Al Ahly in Cairo Egypt.
Having these 2 teams says a lot about the level of football in South Africa as Egypt is another nation with 2 clubs into the last 8 that is Al Ahly and Pyramids, with Esperance of Tunisia, MC Alger of Algeria, Al Hilal of Sudan and FAR Rabat of Morocco making up the last four teams to make it 8.
The last 8 lineup promises to keep fans on the edge of their seats, and for Betway Premiership sides Tshwane giants Mamelodi Sundowns, Soweto giants Orlando Pirates both will surely want to give a good account of South African football, and who knows maybe meet in the final, what a matchup for all times that would be.
