Zakri zips in Downs winner

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane got his wish when his team beat Wydad Athletic 1-0 in a heated Caf Champions League quarterfinal first-leg clash in Atteridgeville on Sunday.

Yannick Zakri beat Wydad goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti with a low shot to score after he was set up by Themba Zwane in the 70th minute.

Tempers became frayed when the Wydad technical staff nearly came to blows with members of the Sundowns bench before full-time. The Wydad bench charged at their Sundowns counterparts and it took calm heads to smooth over the tense situation.

On the eve of the match, Mosimane said he was targeting a clean sheet against the Moroccans and such a result would give the Brazilians a huge advantage going into the second leg in Casablanca on Saturday.

The visitors were happy to sit back and absorb the early pressure as Sundowns tried to break them down. Sundowns started the second-half determined to find a way past the solid Wydad defence. They finally found the opening they were looking for when Oupa Manyisa‚ Percy Tau and Zwane combined to set up Zakri for the goal.

The passing between the Brazilians’ players seemed to mesmerise their opponents.

The Brazilians leave on Monday for the return leg in Morocco and they will stay in North Africa in anticipation of a semifinal first-leg clash that is likely to be against USM Alger of Algeria on September 29.