Kekana, Brockie just weren’t at the races for Sundowns
FOR a second successive year, Mamelodi Sundowns – the 2016 champions of Africa – were knocked out of the Caf Champions League, held at the Lucas Moripe Stadium by lowly Horoya AC from Guinea.
This time the Brazilians didn’t even make it past the group stage, having endured a horror campaign from the beginning when they kicked off their journey in Group C with a 1-1 draw against holders Wydad Casablanca at home.
The tension was almost palpable before kick off yesterday, the Sundowns supporters knowing it was win or bust.
But the visitors were in fact the ones who showed urgency in the opening minutes, while Sundowns tried to read their game plan.
For Horoya, a point would have been enough, but it wasn’t until the hosts were piling on the pressure late in the second half that the Guinea outfit retreated – parking a bus and relying on goalkeeper Germain Berthe to keep them in the game.
Sundowns had their chances. And when the most clear cut of those opportunities, Gaston Sirino putting Sibusiso Vilakazi clean through on goal, did not go in was a sense that it probably wasn’t their night.
All the big guns were brought back after they were rested at the weekend in the 1-0 defeat to Cape Town City in the MTN8 first leg semi-final.
But even with fresh legs, key players such as Sirino, captain Hlompho Kekana and striker Jeremy Brockie just weren’t at the races.
Brockie, in particular, will be held responsible for Sundowns firing blanks yesterday. He hardly made use of any of the chances created and looks like he is still trying to adjust to life at Chloorkop despite arriving as far back as January.
It might have been a mistake on Pitso Mosimane’s part to rely on him for goals on a night like this, but his replacement Anthony Laffor didn’t make an impact either. Sundowns’ first substitution was a defender in Motjeka Madisha due to an apparent injury to right-back Anele Ngcongca. The other two were Laffor and Lebogang Maboe – the two forwards who should have perhaps started the game given what was at stake.
Horoya held on to an unexpected draw and qualify for the last eight of the Champions League for the first time.