With an alleged lack of support from the PSL that resulted in a fixture congestion, Mamelodi Sundowns still ran rampant against Malian club Stade Malien in the first leg of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals under the bright lights of Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday night.
Sundowns now head into the second leg of the Champions League tie next Friday in Mali, in the driving seat, with a comfortable 3-0 lead. It could have been more, but they could only settle for the three quality goals that they managed to score.
This is thanks to goals from Khuliso Mudau, South American talisman Brayan Leon, and in-form Iqraam Rayners in the second half.
Mudau and Rayners’ goals were initially ruled out for offside, but through the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the decisions were both overturned, and the goals stood.
It must be said that the Sundowns supporters understood the assignment, as they packed Loftus to the rafters on a Friday night, singing and backing their team like never before.
How the players responded and fed off the energy of their boisterous crowd was second to none, as they displayed an exciting brand of football, with some nutmegs here and there.
The less said about the opponents, the better, as they were nowhere to be seen, and it was one-way traffic from start to finish.
Downs coach Miguel Cardoso will at least have something to be happy about, at least for tonight, as one can imagine he will already be starting to plan for their next Betway Premiership encounter against Marumo Gallants on Tuesday.
Depending on Orlando Pirates’ result against Siwelele FC on Saturday, Sundowns will be looking to remain in the league title race and bag the much-needed three points before jetting off to West Africa a day or two after.
