Mamelodi Sundowns advanced to the last four of the inaugural Africa Football League (AFL) following their 0-0 draw against Petro de Luanda of Angola at Loftus Stadium in Tshwane on Tuesday night. They proceed with an aggregate score of 2-0 from the first leg away win in Angola on Saturday.
Sundowns will know face Egyptian giants and foes Al Ahly in the semi-finals, with the first leg playing this coming Sunday. For Sundowns, most of the job was done and finished in the first leg and in Tshwane, they just needed to keep composure and to keep the tall Luanda players at bay.
The home side suffered a major blow when Mothobi Mvala was sent for an early shower – before he could even break some sweat when he was red-carded for fouling a Luanda player who was enroute to goals. The video referee assistant, popularly known as VAR in the football circles, was brought to play and the referees agreed that the foul deserved marching orders.
Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena and his charges were boosted by their supporters who arrived at the stadium in large numbers, even on a Tuesday night. This just shows how serious this tournament means to Sundowns and their legions of supporters.
After a frustrating first half, Luanda threw in four strikers in order to penetrate the Sundowns defence, but they found the back four wall very difficult to break down. Luanda pushed forward and were in search of the goal that would have changed the complexion of the game. The Brazilians too had chances of their own, but they were comfortable with the aggregate 2-0 scoreline as the clock ticked.
