Mamelodi Sundowns were not at their scintillating best but managed to add the CAF Super Cup to their trophy cabinet after edging out TP Mazembe 1-0 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday night.
Photo from video
Masandawana had booked their place in the match by virtue of being CAF Champions League winners for 2016, while DR Congo club Mazembe are the reigning Confederations Cup champions.
Having been thwarted nearly all evening long at a close-to-capacity Loftus by some determined defending and some brilliant shot-stopping by visiting keeper Sylvain Gbohouo, it took an 83rd-minute penalty for the Brazilians to edge the win and write another chapter in their impressive history.
The South African side were off to a flying start after kickoff, but it was Mazembe who had the first clear chance to score, and with only Denbis Onyango to beat in the Sundowns goal, Ben Malango should have put the visitors in front on nine minutes but instead struck the post.
Daniel Adjei had another opportunity for the five-time Champions League-winning side on 19 minutes, but his powerful drive rose over the bar, the same player denied by an Onyango save eight minutes later.
Sundowns had gone rather flat, but they ended the first half strongly as Khama Billiat’s goal-bound shot was tipped away by Sylvain Gbohouo, the Mazembe keeper then just doing enough to stop Anthony Laffor’s 43rd-minute effort from trickling in.
Pitso Mosimane’s side continued to look dangerous after halftime, but couldn’t make the breakthrough as Hlompho Kekana’s 53rd-minute long range drive was easily held by Gbohouo before Billiat fired over.
Gbohouo was having a fine game and did brilliantly to keep out Tiyani Mabunda’s 70th-minute shot.
Onyango also had work to do a minute later when he kept out an effort by Solomon Asante before the superb Gbohouo once more came to the Lubumbashi side’s rescue with an outstanding save to deny Anthony Laffor.
A goalmouth scramble 10 minutes from time gave Sundowns the chance they needed after they were awarded a spot-kick when Kekana was ruled to have been fouled by Issama Mpeko.
Brazilian-born defender Ricardo Nascimiento did the business with his 83rd-minute penalty as finally Gbohouo was beaten.
Sundowns played out the final few minutes with relative comfort to close out a famous victory and provide another boost for South African football.
