SuperSport wilt in Cup final
• How United players rated in match they managed just one shot on target in the entire 90 minutes
SuperSport United delivered a timid showing in the second leg of their African Confederation Cup final on Saturday‚ unable to stamp home authority on TP Mazembe and surprised by their opponents’ attacking approach.
SuperSport United delivered a timid showing in the second leg of their African Confederation Cup final on Saturday‚ unable to stamp home authority on TP Mazembe and surprised by their opponents’ attacking approach.
Key players did not deliver on the night and, collectively, the crispness of the pass and the final touch was lacking.
In all, SuperSport managed a single shot on target the entire game‚ certainly not enough to overturn the 2-1 deficit from the first leg in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
It meant a goalless draw in Atteridgeville and losers’ medals for the players‚ who played 18 games in this year’s competition‚ covered more than 100,000km in travel and spent about 70 hours in aircraft and at airports on an epic‚ but ultimately unsuccessful, journey.
Here are Business Day’s ratings of the SuperSport United players in the second leg:
RONWEN WILLIAMS
(6/10): There was much less for the goalkeeper to do than in the disastrous first leg in Lubumbashi, where his errors cost SuperSport the cup.
He looked assured‚ despite the wet conditions‚ up until right near the end, when he decided he wanted to dribble the opposing strikers and sent everyone’s hearts back into their mouths.
SIYABONGA NHLAPO
(6/10): Went up and down in an industrious first-half performance but at the beginning of the game had to deal with Mazembe double-teaming on his wing and being flooded out by the likes of Rainford Kabala.
CLAYTON DANIELS (7/10):
Outstanding in dealing with the threat of Ben Malongo and not giving away any free kicks with rash challenges‚ plus added to the set pieces as the side came forward. Was always looking to go forward and proved his quality on the big stage.
TEFU MASHAMAITE (7/10):
Made some key tackles in the first half with great timing as he slid in to sweep away the ball. Also had the ball in the net but was marginally offside. Had he left it‚ the “on-side” players might have been likely to score.
AUBREY MODIBA (5/10):
Always looking for work on the left side‚ pushing up in attack as much as he was covering defensively. But all of this was often wasted with poor delivery.
DEAN FURMAN (6/10):
Another strong workman-like performance with some very good‚ and vital‚ midfield steals. Maybe he needed to shoot a bit more and anticipate more of the second ball that SuperSport failed to take when Mazembe cleared aerially.
RENEILWE LETSHOLONYANE
(4/10): His return to the team after missing the first leg did not produce the desired effect as his link play was poor‚ his passes not telling enough and his positioning bad.
SIPHO MBULE (5/10):
Strong teenager with a bright future who won good balls with fearless tackling but whose decision-making reflected his lack of experience.
THUSO PHALA (4/10): His
first touch let him down too many times at key moments and lost the team the initiative in good situations. Also did not take on the opposing defence as much as he could. Red-carded for a studs-up challenge.
BRADLEY GROBLER (5/10):
Two disappointing set pieces took the gloss off a performance where he tried to get things going in attack with flick-ons in the air and runs around the back of the defence.
JEREMY BROCKIE (5/10):
Hardly received any service and when he did win in the air, the ball went off in the wrong direction. Went off after an hour.
GRANT KEKANA (6/10):
Came on at half-time for Nhlapo and did push forward regularly down the right flank‚ as well as cut inside, although this had little effect in getting the ball into the danger zone.
DOVE WOME (5/10):
Managed to get the only shot on target with a good effort on the turn, but this was another Wome performance with one or two flashes of magic and the rest frustrating.