sportskeeda
Mamelodi Sundowns will head into the second leg of the CAF Champions League final with a slight advantage after securing a 1-0 victory against AS FAR at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday.
However, Sundowns could have piled on a more significant advantage for the return leg, as they wasted several clear-cut chances. Both Brayan León and Kutlwano Letlhaku missed key opportunities to increase their lead.
Attention will be on León, who scored twice in the semifinals against ES Esperance, but failed to convert two golden one-on-one situations, in addition to misfiring a shot that seemed destined to find the net.
This match was also historic in the CAF Champions League, featuring a showdown between two Portuguese coaches — Miguel Cardoso and Alexandre Santos.
For Cardoso, this marked his third consecutive appearance in a CAF Champions League final. He lost the previous season’s final with Sundowns against Pyramids FC and faced defeat in the season before that while managing Espérance de Tunis against Al Ahly SC.
The match was officiated by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, who also oversaw the controversial Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco earlier this year.
With a full house in attendance, Sundowns almost enjoyed a dream start when Khulumane Ndamane found Tashreeq Matthews with a clever pass that split the AS FAR defense, but defender Marouane Louadni made a vital interception.
Sundowns’ persistence finally bore fruit in the 37th minute when Aubrey Modiba delivered a superb free kick that eluded goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti, giving the home side the lead.
The second half saw a delay of over 20 minutes due to VAR technical difficulties. After prolonged discussions and evident frustration from both teams, they agreed to continue the match without the technology.
Sundowns faced a blow shortly after when Modiba appeared to pull a muscle while chasing the ball and was substituted for Divine Lunga.
León then squandered two excellent opportunities to widen the lead after breaking through on goal; one was saved by Tagnaouti, and the other went wide.
During Sundowns’ dominant spell, Letlhaku had a perfect chance as well, but his effort was expertly saved by the Moroccan goalkeeper.
Later, Teboho Mokoena nearly added a second but saw his powerful free kick strike the crossbar.
Despite not fully capitalizing on their advantage, Sundowns finished the first leg in front of an excited Pretoria crowd, leading 1-0 into the decisive second leg at Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah, where the new African champions will be determined.
