Andrew Muchineripi soccer
Football is a funny game. Funny enough for Africa Sports of Cte d’Ivoire to be pipped for first place in Group One of the Champions League this weekend by Sundowns, the team they put six goals past a week before.
A draw between Esperance and Africa Sports in Tunisia would open a window of opportunity for Sundowns, leaving the Pretoria club needing a win over Sable de Batie of Cameroon to finish top of the group by one point.
Unfortunately, a win for either team at the Al-Menzah stadium would eliminate Sundowns from the championship unless the South Africans can win by five goals more than Esperance. A victory for Africa Sports would render calculators redundant as their points tally would rise to 13 – a total neither Esperance nor Sundowns can match come Saturday evening.
Realistically, Esperance must be favoured to overcome Africa Sports at home and book a final place with Sundowns finishing runners-up on goal difference. Can there be a more painful exit, bar a penalty shootout?
Those who read my preview of the match in Abidjan last weekend will not have been surprised by the result as any team that has not lost at home in the Champions League (or Cup) for 28 years clearly has something going for it.
What no one could have imagined, though, was the meek surrender of the Brazilians, who were lucky to escape with only a 6-1 drubbing against rivals who struck the woodwork and spurned several gilt-edged scoring chances.
Far be it from me to gloat and say I told you so, but the sluggishness of central defender Matthew Booth against quicksilver opponents has been repeatedly highlighted. One could be forgiven a quiet chuckle this week when reading a story that claimed Sundowns had suffered a huge blow because Amaglug-glug captain Booth is suspended for the Sable match.
The Sundowns defence cannot fare any worse without the lumbering giant who was pulled all over the Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium pitch by lightning-fast Ivorian midfielders and strikers.
Of equal concern to Sundowns coach Clemens Westerhof and assistant Neil Tovey will be the vast tracts of space on the left flank given to Moussa Timite, whose crosses sowed the seeds of destruction.
Jethro “Lovers” Mohlala, so often elevated by the media to heights far beyond his capabilities, was brought on at half-time to stem the flood, but quickly dissolved into an anonymous figure.
If it is any consolation to Sundowns, Sable are no Africa Sports and it would be a black day, indeed, if the Cameroon champions were to leave Loftus stadium with maximum points.
Not that the team from a village in the west of the Central African country should be dismissed simply because they have lost four of five previous outings and drawn the other.
They snatched an early lead over Africa Sports in Abidjan last month through leading scorer Emmanuel Kenmogne and held on until the hour mark before conceding three goals.
Unlike Sundowns, Sable never let their heads drop and they have nothing to lose and everything to gain in Pretoria against opponents who know nothing less than victory will suffice.
The absence of Booth is more than compensated for by the return of much-improved Themba Mnguni, whose recent form has led to a deserved national squad recall.
Ronnie Kanalelo must become much more assertive within his penalty area, provided he holds on to the goalkeeper jersey with more experienced John Tlale a tempting alternate.
A place must also be found for striker Alain Amougou, whose strength was sadly lacking in Abidjan where Alton Meiring and captain Daniel Mudau did not form a productive relationship.
They call midfielder Roger Feutmba the General, but he was nowhere to be found for most of the Africa Sports match. He owes Sundowns a much more commanding performance this time.
Mudau cannot play such an insignificant role again and I would not be surprised if he was the catalyst of a much better performance from the team that has won the Castle Premiership three consecutive times.
Only three points will give them a glimmer of hope and after home victories over Africa Sports and Esperance that were more impressive than the 2-0 scorelines suggests, Sundowns can sink Sable.
But whereas one week ago Sundowns destiny was in their own hands, it is no longer so. Never before in South African football history has the result of a match at the other end of the continent meant so much.