JOHANNESBURG – Mamelodi Sundowns gave outgoing president Patrice Motsepe an outstanding send-off this week, defeating TP Mazembe in the Caf Champions League group stage on Saturday before dispatching Polokwane City in the Nedbank Cup last-16 on Wednesday afternoon.
Motsepe is expected to step down as Sundowns’ head honcho sometime next week, ahead of being inaugurated, uncontested, as the president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) in Rabat, Morocco, on Friday afternoon.
The Brazilians, though, started the farewell celebrations of their darling president in Lubumbashi, becoming the first team to defeat Mazembe at home in continental football since October 2009 – a win that was their third in as many games in Group C.
But the farewell gestures were brought home, the Loftus Versfeld Stadium, on Wedneaday. The Brazilians remarkably scored their winning four, unanswered, goals in the first half to put the game beyond GladAfrica Championship side City with a half to play.
With this win, the Brazilians will continue their Nedbank Cup defence in a mouth-watering clash against Orlando Pirates in the quarter-finals on Thursday, April 15. Sundowns and Pirates are also first and second in the league standings respectively.
Peter Shalulile opened the scoring gates in Tshwane, sliding a thunderbolt into the roof of the net after Tebatso Phoku parried Haashim Domingo’s strike to his path. Lebohang Maboe found his team second, slotting into an empty net after being set-up by Kermit Erasmus.
In a blink of an eye, Sundowns were 3-0 up after Lesedi Kapinga blasted home a loose rebound from close-range. Andile Jali, though, ensured that the home side went to the break in sheer control, converting Sundowns fourth from the penalty spot after Kapinga was brought down.
IOL Sport