Modiba Free Kick Settles CAFCL Final First Leg
Mamelodi Sundowns will head into the second leg of the CAF Champions League final with a slender advantage after securing a 1-0 victory over AS FAR at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday.
However, Sundowns could easily have taken a far bigger lead into the return leg after wasting several clear-cut opportunities, with Brayan León and Kutlwano Letlhaku both missing chances to extend the advantage.
The spotlight will fall heavily on León, who scored twice in the semis against ES Esperance, having squandered two excellent one-on-one opportunities and also fired another effort wide when it seemed easier to score.
The match also marked a historic occasion in CAF Champions League history, as it was contested by two Portuguese coaches — Miguel Cardoso and Alexandre Santos.
For Cardoso, it was a third consecutive CAF Champions League final appearance. He lost last season’s final with Sundowns against Pyramids FC and was also beaten in the previous campaign while in charge of Espérance de Tunis against Al Ahly SC.
The encounter was officiated by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, who also handled the controversial Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco earlier this year.
In front of a sold-out crowd, Sundowns almost made a dream start when Khulumane Ndamane split the AS FAR defence with a clever pass to Tashreeq Matthews, but defender Marouane Louadni recovered well to clear the danger.
Sundowns’ dominance eventually paid off in the 37th minute when Aubrey Modiba curled a superb free kick beyond goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti to hand the hosts the lead.
The second half was delayed by over 20 minutes due to technical problems with VAR. After lengthy discussions and visible frustration from both benches, the clubs agreed to continue the match without the technology.
Sundowns suffered a setback shortly afterwards when Modiba appeared to pull a muscle while chasing the ball and was forced off, with Divine Lunga replacing him.
León then missed two glorious opportunities to increase the lead after breaking clear on goal, with one effort saved by Tagnaouti before firing another wide.
During Sundowns’ dominant spell, Letlhaku was also presented with a golden opportunity, but his shot was well saved by the Moroccan goalkeeper.
Later in the match, Teboho Mokoena came close to adding a second goal, only to see his powerful free kick strike the upright.
Despite failing to fully capitalise on their dominance, Sundowns completed the first part of the job in front of a packed Pretoria crowd and will take a narrow 1-0 lead into the second leg at Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah, where the decisive encounter will determine the new African champions.
