KINGS OF AFRICA
A TRIUMPH OF MENTAL STRENGTH
Zamalek ................ (0)1
Ohawuchi 65
Mamelodi
Sundowns . . . . . . . . . 0
Sundowns win 3-1 on aggregate
SUNDOWNS walked into the lion’s den, marked their territory and left as the new kings of Africa by winning the jungle-like CAF Champions League.
This wasn’t a football test. Sundowns’ passed that test already with flying colours by topping a group that had teams with nine titles combined in the premier club competition in the continent.
Beating the most successful of those clubs, five-time African champions Zamalek, three times in a row further proved that point.
The last of those wins was a 3-0 demolition in the first leg of this final.
This was a test of Sundowns’ mental strength. It started before they even arrived here when some online trolls sent their players death threats.
It continued when they arrived here on Thursday and found that Zamalek hadn’t allocated them a training pitch.
It went further when Zamalek threatened to go back on their word of supplying Sundowns with tickets for their travelling fans.
All of that was before they even entered this coliseum.
When Sundowns eventually entered for the pitch inspection, it got worse.
Zamalek fans used lasers, blew up fireworks that sounded like explosives and even threw missiles at them.
But Sundowns stood tall. When they didn’t get a venue, they found one for themselves on Friday.
Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe took them out for lunch at the plush Four Seasons Hotel by the sea.
When the players received this reception, they took pictures having laughed off death threats.
Sundowns passed the mental test, leaving the small matter of wrapping up this game to become African champions for the first time in their history.
They handled that part, too, playing with intelligence and cockiness.
Pitso Mosimane’s plan was for the club to weather the storm in the first 15 minutes and frustrate the fans.
Denis Onyango played a big part at first, killing Zamalek’s momentum by slowing down the game and going down at the slightest of touches.
Stanley Ohawuchi came close to scoring, but committed the cardinal sin of coming into contact with Onyango.
Uganda’s No 1 stole a few minutes because of that contact.
Zamalek didn’t take his antics well.
The White Knight’s technical team stormed Sundowns’ bench in frustration.
Sundowns stood defiant. But this time Onyang was genuinely injured.
Wayne Sandilands came on for him just before the halfhour mark, and pulled off a brilliant save to ensure that the first half ended goalless.
The fans were silent but it didn’t last long, with deafening cheers after Ohawuchi squeezed the ball between Sandilands at the post.
That goal fired up Zamalek, with more flares lit in the stands. One was even thrown in frustration behind the Egyptians’ goalpost.
But Sundowns weren’t intimidated and finished the business.