Four games from glory
Sundowns and veteran Nthethe so close to African success
A“HARD but right” decision that Thabo Nthethe made when he decided to leave Bloemfontein Celtic for Mamelodi Sundowns in 2014 is four games away from paying off. That’s what stands between the Brazilians and the African Champions League title.
Two of those matches will be against Zambia’s Zesco United, starting this afternoon (3.30pm, SS4) in Ndola in the first leg of the semi-finals.
Seven days later, Sundowns will host Zesco – whom they played three times in pre-season friendlies in Zambia – in the second leg at Loftus Versfeld.
“If I were to end this year as an African champion, I can retire with peace of mind,” Nthethe said from Ndola.
“I would retire as a satisfied man because there’s no higher honour in club football.
“It would mean a lot to me, especially looking at where I come from. I never thought I would reach these heights when I was at Celtic. But this is a perfect example of how dreams can turn into reality, regardless of age.”
When the 31-year-old joined Sundowns two years ago, he was seen as a man close to reaching his sell-by date and looking to make his last big buck before he retired. But he has become an integral part of the Brazilians’ defence.
He captained them in the Premiership and Champions League in the absence of Ramahlwe Mphahlele last season and Hlompho Kekana in this campaign.
Not only can Nthethe claim to be the best defender in the country, after he was named the defender of the year at the PSL awards in May, he can also claim to be one of the best on the continent. During the group stage he was a regular feature in African football federation CAF’s team of the week as Sundowns swept aside Zamalek, Enyimba and ES Setif – before the Tunisians were kicked out of the tournament for spectator violence – to top Group B with a match to spare. It was the game that didn’t count, against Setif, that showed Nthethe that Sundowns can be the champions.
“It was the turning point because we had lost to (Ghana’s) Medeama in the Confederation Cup play-offs,” Nthethe said.
“We were reinstated into the tournament (when CAF kicked out AS Vita for fielding a suspended player) when we were already thinking about our holiday. We had nothing to lose.
“After Setif, we beat Enyimba at home and then went to beat Zamalek at home and away. It was a huge statement. We were playing against teams that had two stars or more on their badges while we don’t have any. Yet we never looked out of place.”
The clubs in Sundowns’ group had nine Champions League titles between them. The Brazilians’ best result had been reaching the final in 2001. That did not show on the pitch. But when they take on Zesco they will carry the favourites tag for the first time in this competition because of how they booked their place in the last four and the fact that they were unbeaten against them in the three friendlies they played.
The Zambians will be a stern test because they play a brand of enterprising football with a potent attack that finished the group stage with the most goals (10). But they are vulnerable at the back having conceded the most goals (nine).
If Nthethe and his teammates can keep the Zambians on a leash, Sundowns’ attack should take care of the rest. This is Nthethe’s finest hour, representing his country at the highest club level.