Tame draw sinks Downs’ Caf campaign

Mamelodi Sundowns’ Caf Champions League campaign came to an end after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Horoya AC of Guinea at Atteridgeville’s Lucas Moripe Stadium.

The 2016 champions came into Tuesday night’s match needing a win of any margin to progress to the knockout stages on head-to-head, but coach Pitso Mosimane’s men wasted chances galore against Horoya.

This was Sundowns’ fourth goalless match in all competitions. On this occasion, Jeremy Brockie, Sibusiso Vilakazi and Gaston Sirino were most wasteful after dominating most of the possession.

While Sundowns played attacking football for the most part, Horoya, who knew that a draw was enough to take them to the quarterfinal, sat back and tried to catch the Brazilians on the counterattack.

Sundowns will have to wait for next season to have another crack at this competition and their focus will now turn to Sunday’s MTN8 semifinal second leg against Cape Town City in Atteridgeville.

They end the group stages third below defending champions Wydad Casablanca and Horoya with AS Togo-Port last.

The first chance of the match fell to Brockie, but his tame shot from outside the penalty box after receiving the ball from Sirino in the 19th minute did not trouble visiting goalkeeper Khadim N’diaye.

Minutes later, Sundowns attacked Horoya again but went just wide of the upright with a trademark long-range shot.

In the 24th minute, Horoya almost shocked Sundowns with the opening goal through Godfred Asante, who unleashed a long-range shot that nearly caught goalkeeper Denis Onyango off guard.

Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates edged Black Leopards 2-1 in an action-packed Absa Premiership game at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane that had it all – the good, the bad and, in the case of Thamsanqa Gabuza’s behaviour, the weird.

Bucs took a 2-0 lead through Thivhavhudzi Ndou’s 34th-minute own goal and Vincent Pule’s strike in the 66th.

Joseph Mhlongo pulled one back in the 70th.

After missing chances and having his own supporters on his back, Gabuza produced a cross that led to Thivhavhudzi Ndou’s own goal.

The big centre-forward then stormed off the field, and when he returned 17 playing minutes later seemingly feigning injury he was shown double yellow.–