DOWNS GETS GOOD GHANA WORKOUT
West Africans roll out red carpet for SA side
MAMELODI Sundowns play two more matches in Ghana over the next week as they continue their preparations for the new season, after a moraleboosting 1-1 draw in midweek against former African champions Hearts of Oak.
Sundowns were denied a win by a last-minute equaliser for the home side at the Accra Sports Stadium, where the Brazilians have been training all week.
Sundowns will take on Ghana league champions Asante Kotoko next in Kumasi on Sunday and play a third match next week against Cape Coast Dwarfs before they head home for the new Premier Soccer League season.
The games fit between a taxing programme of preseason preparations as coach Pitso Mosimane looks to transform his team after their disappointing finish to the last season, where they failed to make the top eight.
Mosimane, who has staked his reputation on transforming the big spending Brazilians back into a winning outfit, has taken the side to west Africa for vigorous competition and they have already had one tough assignment against Hearts.
Surprise Moriri gave Sundowns the lead with some 15 minutes to go in a match in which Sundowns controlled the midfield, according to Ghanaian reports.
But a last-gasp equaliser spared home blushes.
Ghana have laid out a red carpet for the South African club because Sundowns allowed the Black Stars to train at their Chloorkop facilities last month, before the Ghana national team headed to Lesotho for a World Cup qualifying win.
There was a high-level ministerial delegation that came to welcome the players while they trained, and Sundowns are being allowed to hold their work outs at the national stadium – the equivalent of a club on pre-season training being given free reign at FNB Stadium.