Not over by a long shot for United
History favours Tinkler’s men in Confed final clash Swallows need help to take flight
SUPERSPORT United must come back from a 2-1 deficit against DR Congo side TP Mazembe in the home leg of their African Confederation Cup final on Saturday‚ but history provides plenty of examples of teams who have turned the tables to claim the trophy in the second game.
In fact‚ it has been the norm down the years for the side who play the second leg at home to lift the trophy‚ no matter what the first leg score is‚ as only four times in the previous 14 years has the team who started at home been crowned champions.
Sipho Mbule scored what could prove to be a vital away goal for Matsatsantsa in Lubumbashi on Sunday as Eric Tinkler’s side also spurned a number of chances to claim the advantage in the final going into the second leg at the Atteridgeville Stadium on Saturday night.
Since the competition was first played in 2004‚ four sides have come back from a first leg deficit to win the trophy‚ and quite astonishingly‚ only twice before has a team that held the advantage after the first game gone on to win.
Seven finals were all square after the opening match.
Moroccan side FAR Rabat were the first team to overturn a first leg deficit as they trailed Nigerian side Dolphins FC 1-0 in the 2005 decider‚ but roared back to claim a 3-0 success in the second game.
Stade Malien trailed Algerian side ES Setif 2-0 from the first leg of the 2009 final‚ but won by the same margin in their home game and then triumphed 3-2 on penalties to claim the cup.
Another Moroccan team‚ MAS Fez‚ did likewise in 2011 when they trailed Club African 1-0 from the first game‚ but won by the same scoreline in the second and then claimed the shootout 6-5.
In 2014 Egyptian giants Al Ahly trailed Sewe Sport from Ivory Coast 2-1 from the first leg of the final in Abidjan‚ but won the second leg 1-0 to claim the final on the away goals rule.
A similar result for SuperSport on Saturday would suit Tinkler and his men just fine.
The only clubs to lift the trophy when playing the second leg away from home are Hearts of Oak‚ who beat fellow Ghanaian side Asante Kotoko 8-7 on penalties after a pair of 1-1 draws in 2004‚ and Tunisian side CS Sfaxien‚ who beat compatriots Etoile du Sahel on the away goals rule after their tie finished 2-2 in 2008.
Moroccan side FUS Rabat claimed a 3-2 win at Sfaxien in 2010 to take their tie on aggregate by the same scoreline in what is also the only instance of the away side winning the second leg‚ though of course a draw will be good enough for Mazembe at the weekend.
Sfaxien lost 2-1 at TP Mazembe in 2013 in the second leg‚ but still lifted the trophy 3-2 on aggregate.
That is also one of only two times that the side winning the first leg has been crowned champions‚ with the other a 4-2 away win for Sfaxien at Sudanese side Al Merrikh that was followed by a 1-0 home success. — DDC BUFFALO City Metro SAB League Nedbank Cup champions, Mighty Swallows’ preparations for the provincial playoffs are going well but the club is in dire need for a shot in the arm.
Swallows have been hard at work getting ready to face other provincial champions this coming weekend in Jeffreys Bay.
Over the weekend, the Bhishobased outfit convincingly outplayed last year’s BCM champs from Breidbach, Rising Stars, in a friendly match.
Swallows coach, Viwe Jama, said although his boys showed drastic improvements on the pitch, they were not out of the woods as yet as they still had to deal with the logistics involved with going to the Nedbank playoffs.
“This preparatory exercise didn’t really serve its purpose because of the absence of players who are currently writing their Grade 12 examinations, but nevertheless I’m satisfied with our game today.
“Most of the experienced players are studying, but then again this game helped us because there were younger players whom I wanted to gauge – as we head for this difficult encounter [Nedbank playoffs].
“The good thing for us is that we have players with mileage, so there’s not much work to be done now and I feel we’re ready.”
Jama said the injuries on their most influential players were some of the challenges they hoped to overcome before their big day.
“Our captain, Xolisani Tokwe, has a groin injury, and we didn’t play him on Sunday because if he continued to play with that injury, it might cost us in the playoffs.
“One of our strikers, Mandilakhe Dastile, got a knock during the game, but I’m making sure that they nurse their injuries so we can have a pool of players during the playoffs.”
He said the heavy rains last week put immense pressure on the team, as they couldn’t train, but they were ready even though they were struggling financially ahead of their trip to Jeffreys Bay.
“Now we just have to solidify our combinations, because I’ve seen what I need to see. But now it’s a matter of dealing with the money,” he said.
“The accommodation is on us, and we also have to pay for our catering, and we don’t have that kind of money.
“We’ve been busy approaching food retailers around King William’s Town. We also went to the provincial Department of Sport and Recreation, but no one has came back to us and we are playing on Saturday.
“It would mean a lot to the team if we would get assistance from anyone interested in lending a hand,” said Jama.
If you are interested in assisting Swallows you can contact Jama on 071-573-2718.