Mamelodi Sundowns are on the right groove in their quest for the Caf Champions League honours.
The Brazilians scored their second victory in a row when they defeated the champions of Cameroon Coton Sport 3-1 on Friday evening. The win keeps Bafana Ba Style at the summit of Group B with six points from the two victories.
According to the Sundowns website, the Brazilians got off to an emphatic start to the game as they chased down the ball in the opposition half and applied a high press on the home side. The early pressure paid off and Masandawana took an early lead as Cassius Mailula broke the deadlock in the tenth minute.
The young forward picked up the ball from a loose Coton Sport pass before burying the ball in the back of the net to grab his second goal in as many games in the Champions League group stages.
Before the dust could settle from the opener Downs doubled their lead two minutes later as Thapelo Morena pulled off a neat flick in the six yard box following the low cross from the right. After thirteen minutes the Brazilians were in full control of the encounter.
Following the early lead, the hosts began to grow into the tie and is was now Sundowns’ turn to withstand the pressure. Downs weather the storm and continued to move the ball up the pitch, with Teboho Mokoena drawing a save from the Coton Sport goalkeeper – Gadin Allambatnan.
The home team from Garoua pulled a goal back on the half hour mark as youngster Patient Wassou put one past Ronwen Williams. Despite conceding, the visiting team held their nerve as they saw out the first half and went 3-1 up late in the first half as Mailula got his brace, finishing off a fine one-on-one chance.
The second half started with a similar intensity to the first, with the hosts pushing to get a way back into the game. Despite their efforts, Coton were unable to cause much trouble in and around the Masandawana penalty area as. Neo Maema had one of the few chances for Bafana Ba Style in the second half, as he blasted a shot over after clever work from Khuliso Mudau on the right flank.
The rest of the second half was about game management from Sundowns, as the technical team reinforced the options on the pitch, bringing on Surprise Ralani in the place of Maema. The substitution was followed up by the introduction of Bongani Zungu and Gift Motupa who added fresh legs in the Garoua heat.
Williams played a key role in ensure that the hosts were kept at bay, making a number of key saves to deny the opposition. The most important stop came from point-blank range as the ball deflected off Grant Kekana’s foot and into the path of Downs’ number 32 who was alert to the danger!
Ultimately it was the team in Yellow who held on to claim all three points in tough conditions in Cameroon, ensuring that they carried on the momentum from their positive start in the continental competition.
Up next, Downs will return home to recover before beginning their preparations for next weeks ‘Derby’ encounter against familiar foes Al Ahly.
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