/ 16 September 2007

Downs end knockout drought in style

The growing suspicion that South African soccer teams had forgotten how to play quality soccer was happily debunked in Durban on Saturday night when Mamelodi Sundowns edged out Orlando Pirates 1-0 in an entertaining, skilful SAA Supa8 final before a near-capacity, appreciative 45 000 crowd.

The growing suspicion that South African soccer teams had forgotten how to play quality soccer was happily debunked in Durban on Saturday night when Mamelodi Sundowns edged out Orlando Pirates 1-0 in an entertaining, skilful SAA Supa8 final before a near-capacity, appreciative 45 000 crowd.

In the process of lifting the level of play along with a gallant Pirates, the Brazilians also broke an eight-year drought in which they have failed to annex a major knockout trophy, in spite of dominating the Premier Soccer League championship with a record five titles.

Sundowns stamped their authority on the proceedings as early as the 15th minute when an alert Brent Carelse took advantage of a moment of disarray in the Pirates’ defence and drilled home the only goal of the game with a thunderous 18m shot.

But to the Buccaneers’ credit, they fought valiantly until the end and more than held their own, with Brian Baloyi in the Sundowns goal having a good deal more work to do with than his opposing number, Francis Chansa.

For all this, Pirates’ downfall was the lack of a penetrative striker to capitalise on the enterprising play of Teko Modise in midfield, with Paulos Masehe, a former Sundowns player, squandering a golden opportunity of equalising in the 66th minute.

Josta Dladla, however, was confronted with an equally inviting, close-range scoring chance shortly after Sundowns had taken the lead and a second goal at that stage could almost have sealed the issue there and then.

Second-half substitute Joseph Makhanya, who added a touch of guile and precision to Pirates’ play, came close to snatching an 87th-minute equaliser from a screaming, angled shot. On another occasion, Baloyi in the Sundowns goal made his only mistake in the game when dropping a Makhanya cross that threatened danger.

Just as he had been on Wednesday while solidifying the Bafana Bafana defence in the goalless game against Uruguay, Benson Mholongo was an ice-cool, tower of strength in the Sundowns defence — and he was well supported by his industrious co-central defender, Mbulelo Mabizela.

The absorbing game was played under a pall of underlying sadness following the recent tragic death of 22-year-old Sundowns prodigy Gift Leremi, who had close and intimate associations with the competing teams.

And with both clubs proclaiming beforehand that they would perform as a tribute and in memory of Leremi, they seemingly lived up to this with an improvement of recent standards. — Sapa