Shock as Sundowns crash out of CAF Champions League
· Citizen
Wiliete SC have sent shockwaves through African football by knocking holders Mamelodi Sundowns out of the CAF Champions League in the second leg of the second preliminary round.
The two teams played out a 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night, with the Angolan side booking their place in the group stage of Africa’s premier club competition on the away goals rule after the first leg ended goalless.
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Remarkably, this is the first time since 2015 that the Brazilians have failed to qualify for the group stage of the competition. On that occasion, they were sent packing by DR Congo’s TP Mazembe at the same stage of the qualifying rounds.
The game got off to a frantic pace with Thabang Matuludi rising highest to meet Aubrey Madiba’s corner, but his header sailed over the bar as Sundowns applied pressure five minutes into the game.
It took just 11 minutes for Sundowns to break the deadlock through Tashreeq Matthews’ deflected effort. The attacker picked up the ball outside the box before unleashing a left-footed shot that took a deflection off a Wiliete defender and found the back of the net.
Despite Sundowns’ early dominance, Wiliete nearly drew level in the 26th minute when Gilberto met a cross with a header, only for Williams to produce a brilliant save to preserve his side’s lead.
Sundowns leave door open for Wiliete
Sundowns went into the break with a slender advantage, leaving the door open for Wiliete, who continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack. A careless pass from Cassius Mailula in the middle of the park presented Wiliete striker Mabululu with a golden opportunity.
The experienced forward made no mistake, slotting the ball past Williams to restore parity just four minutes into the second half in Tshwane. Brayan León thought he had restored Sundowns’ lead five minutes later, but the referee ruled out the goal for a foul in the build-up.
Tension spill over into the stands
With the score locked at 1-1 on the hour mark, Sundowns were staring at the very real prospect of crashing out of the competition at the first hurdle. Since lifting the trophy in 2016, the Tshwane giants had consistently qualified for the group stage, making this potential early exit all the more remarkable.
Tension also spilled over into the stands, with sections of the home support demanding greater urgency from their players. Sundowns subsequently created a flurry of chances, but Marcelo Allende, León and Matthews all failed to make their opportunities count.
Miguel Cardoso turned to his bench in the 62nd minute, introducing Siyanda Ndlovu for the ineffective Mailula in a bid to inject fresh energy into the attack. Seven minutes later, Antonio van Wyk and Thapelo Morena were brought on for Modiba and Matuludi, respectively.
León came agonisingly close to putting Sundowns back in front in the 80th minute, but his header from a Nuno Santos cross failed to find the target. With 10 minutes remaining, Cardoso introduced Themba Zwane and Iqraam Rayners as Sundowns threw everything forward in search of a winner.
Despite the hosts’ late onslaught, Wiliete stood firm to secure a famous result and eliminate the defending champions in front of their own supporters. As the final whistle blew, stunned Sundowns fans were left to come to terms with a shock exit, while the Angolan outfit celebrated a memorable night in their continental campaign.