South African teams have often struggled in continental club competitions
Andrew Muchineripi
First-round matches in the annual continental club competitions should be little more than limb-looseners for representatives from major football powers like South Africa.
Or so the theory goes because the best clubs like Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs are kept apart by a seeding system that takes into account geography and strength. In other words, Raja Casablanca of Morocco and Sundowns cannot clash in the first round because of their status and the fact that they come from opposite ends of the continent.
But despite a system that clearly favours the elite, with playing at home first an added advantage, Sundowns find themselves in the unhappy position this weekend of fighting for survival.
Perhaps the sole satisfaction to be gained from a 0-0 draw against Mozambican champions Costa do Sol at sparsely populated Loftus stadium was the fact that the ”Brazilians” did not concede a goal.
The importance of away goals in two-leg ties cannot be over emphasised and any score draw at the bumpy Machava stadium on Sunday afternoon will steer Sundowns into the second round.
While the three-time winners of the Castle Premiership have made life difficult for themselves, they have survived equally perilous situations in previous African campaigns.
Last year, for example, they squeezed an unconvincing 2-1 first-leg lead over Defence Force of Lesotho at Loftus only to romp home 4-1 in the tiny mountain kingdom two weeks later.
Sundowns were held 0-0 at home by Nkana FC in the following round after a 1-1 draw on the Zambian Copperbelt, so most of the team know all about tight tussles.
The South African champions appeared to have shaken off the coaching upheaval that found former Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey once more in charge when drawing 2-2 at Santos last weekend.
If the absence of Paul Dolezar, for reasons that remain unclear, was affecting the players, they did not show it when coming from behind twice against formidable opponents.
Experience of African football, with its myriad frustrations and unforeseen problems, is another crucial piece of ammunition in the Sundowns weaponry. But, make no mistake, there are problems, too, with the continued absence through injury of diminutive striker and captain Daniel ”Mambush” Mudau a source of considerable concern.
Oh, how Sundowns missed the little man in the first leg as big Nigerian Raphael Chukwu contrived to miss several chances.
One was also concerned by the lethargic approach of many Sundowns players, who seemed unable to comprehend that Costa had not travelled with a white flag and waved it furiously before kick-off.
Costa proved a well-organised, defensively disciplined outfit in Pretoria and that most valuable of commodities luck was on their side several times in frenetic goalmouth scrambles.
This time they must come forward which, ironically, will give Chukwu and company the space they craved but could not find two weeks ago on a warm, overcast afternoon.
Do not expect either team to run away with this match and gazing into my crystal ball I see Sundowns scrambling through, but it might need a penalty shootout or the away-goal rule to reach the last 16.
Whoever makes it is likely to face Highlanders of Zimbabwe in the second round as the Bulawayo club forced a 2-2 draw with Young Africans in Tanzania two weeks ago.
Kaizer Chiefs are in exactly the opposite position to Sundowns having drawn with Stade Tamponnaise on the tiny French-governed Indian Ocean island of Runion.
Even better was the 1-1 scoreline as it means a 0-0 draw at Johannesburg stadium on Sunday will see the Amakhosi through to a second-round tie with Mogoditshane of Botswana or Sunshine of Seychelles.
Ajax Cape Town take a 2-0 lead over Kampala City Council to Uganda for a match on Sunday that marks the debut of Rob McDonald as coach in succession to animated but unsuccessful Henk Bodewes.
Sunday also sees the continuation of the Premiership championship chase with Jomo Cosmos hosting pacesetters Orlando Pirates at Olympia Park in Rustenburg, where the Buccaneers will not enjoy the physical, in-your-face approach of the Ezenkosi.