The rain gods might have provided welcome relief in abundance to an arid Atteridgeville on Saturday afternoon, but they produced few favours for Black Leopards as they slithered out of the lucrative Telkom Knockout at the quarterfinal stage after a 3-1 defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns at the Super Stadium.
Leopards, who stunned Sundowns’ bitter rivals SuperSport United in the previous round, threatened another upset when they took advantage of defensive lapses to open the score in only the ninth minute after adroit lead-up play by Radzani Ramadzuli and a precise lobbed goal from Robert N’gambi.
But The Brazilians were on level terms within four minutes through a scorching, angled drive from left-back David Kannemeyer following a smartly-taken short corner. And it was another corner that provided Surprise Moriri with the chance to make the score 2-1 with a precise header in referee’s optional time before half-time.
A persistent downpour, initially accompanied by lightning, engulfed play for much of the game and referee Daniel Bennett briefly called the players off the pitch in the 38th minute for what was effectively a game that contained two intervals.
The Super Stadium pitch, however, stood up well to the rain deluge and Sundowns stamped their superiority in the second period — with Lerato Chabangu virtually sealing the issue and a place in the semifinals in the 72nd minute with a thunderous drive into the net after Ezrom Nyandoro’s initial shot had been blocked by a packed defence.
But Leopards had scant luck going their way and came within a whisker of equalising with a shot that thudded against the post when the score was still 2-1 in Sundowns’ favour.
Sundowns’ scoring hero Kannemeyer, in addition, might well have been red-carded after receiving a yellow card and then committing a second unsavoury infringement.
And the Leopards roared their displeasure on two occasions while appealing for penalties.
Sundowns, however, were in total command in the closing stages when their uneasy start seemed no more than a distant memory.
Brazilians coach Gordon Igesund decided to field second-string Brian Baloyi in goal, when first-choice Calvin Marlin only returned from Bafana Bafana duty in England the day before the game, after sitting on the bench during the 1-0 defeat against Egypt.
And Baloyi, in his first official appearance in months, looked understandably rusty at the outset.
Igesund explained afterwards how the goalkeeping change had provided Sundowns with some well-concealed, uneasy moments in the closing stages.
”Brian suffered what could be a serious groin injury,” explained the Sundowns coach, ”but I had already made my three mandatory changes and we had to play the last 12 minutes of the game with a goalkeeper who could barely move.” — Sapa