By Tokelo Mokhesi.
@GalloImages.
Mamelodi Sundowns will take a slender but vital 1-0 lead to Rabat next weekend, after edging Moroccan side AS FAR in the first leg of the CAF Champions League final at a capacity-filled Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday night.
A solitary, moments-before-half-time strike from Aubrey Modiba separated the two sides in an encounter Chloorkop dominated, but ultimately failed to put out of sight. For Masandawana, it is a familiar script of territorial dominance met with a frustrating lack of clinical edge—a reality that saw them fall short against Pyramids FC in last season’s showpiece.
For Sundowns’ tactical mastermind Miguel Cardoso, this marks a remarkable third consecutive continental final. Yet, despite his side stringing together fine patterns of play, the Portuguese tactician will head north to Morocco harboring a distinct sense of what could have been.
Sundowns asserted their authority from the onset, asking continuous questions of the military side’s rearguard. The breakthrough finally materialized in the 37th minute when Modiba stepped up to a free-kick, curling a magnificent left-footed effort into the bottom left corner, leaving Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti beaten.
The second stanza, however, delivered as much technical drama off the pitch as it did on it. The match resumed amid a bizarre 22-minute VAR blackout following technical glitches at the restart. Under IFAB and CAF statutes, the fixture legally continued without the video assistant framework before match referee Jean Jacques Ndala Ngambo finally signaled its restoration midway through the half.
On the pitch, the Brazilians pushed relentlessly for a cushion. Second-half substitute Kutlwano Letlhaku saw a fine effort saved in the bottom corner by Tagnaouti in the 64th minute, while Brayan Léon uncharacteristically flashed a golden opportunity over the crossbar just moments prior.
The hosts came agonizingly close to a spectacular second in the 85th minute when midfield talisman Teboho Mokoena unleashed a trademark, venomous free-kick from distance, only to watch it rattle the woodwork.
AS FAR offered sporadic threats on the counter, with Youssef El Fahli asking minor questions of the Downs defence, but the Moroccans seemed largely content to escape Tshwane with a manageable deficit.
While the clean sheet provides a solid foundation, Sundowns travel to the capital of Morocco knowing that a lone goal is a fragile currency in the hostile environments of North Africa. The job is half-done, but the definitive final chapter remains unwritten.