Mamelodi Sundowns v Wydad Casablanca
African Football League final, second leg
12 November, Loftus Versfeld, 15h00
Wydad Casablanca, backed by an enthusiastic crowd of over 40 000 supporters at the famed Mohamed V Stadium, took the lead against Mamelodi Sundowns when Rivaldo Coetzee scored a first half own goal. With the match level at 1-1 following Abdelmounaim Boutouil's goal from the penalty spot, the Brazilians believed that a 1-1 draw would be a decent score line ahead of the second leg of the African Football League final back in Tshwane. However, their hopes were dashed when Anas Serrhat came on as a substitute and rifled a powerful shot into the back of the net from the edge of the box to secure a narrow victory for his side. It was scintillating, top tier football from two giants of the continent. In this preview, former Sundowns players tell Soccer Laduma's Zola Doda that the team has enough ammunition to turn things around and win the inaugural African competition.
On The First Leg In Casablanca
Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad Casablanca have played against each other 13 times in previous matches, with the Moroccan side winning five times, Rhulani Mokwena's men securing three wins and five matches ending in draws. With R73 million prize money at stake, there was a lot to play for when the two sides met last week, in the first leg of the African Football League final. The 2-1 defeat means that a 1-0 win at Loftus will be enough to see the Tshwane giants crowned African Football League champions, as one of their former stars, Alois Bunjira, gives his impressions.
"I thought Sundowns played very well in Casablanca considering the fact that playing in front of a hostile environment is not easy. With loud fans and green laser beams pointing in your eyes, it makes it difficult to concentrate on the match when you are playing in Morocco. It's a very intimidating place and I feel for the Sundowns players who had to go through that. As soon as you land at the airport, you can immediately feel that this is not home. When you touch the ball on the field, the home crowd is against you from the word go, they are whistling and making noise. That is very intimidating environment. Then you also have to deal with match officials that you don't even know where they come from and sometimes you can't communicate with them because they can't speak English. That's why you need players with strong character in those matches. That place is a lion's den. If you have few players in your team who are intimidated, that's ok.
But if it's the whole team that is intimidated, then that is a problem. So, Sundowns did well under circumstances. Coming back from 1-0 down to score an equaliser, I thought 1-1 was going to be a good result. It was really unfortunate to concede that second goal. It was a blow to the confidence when they conceded the second goal. But fortunately, unlike in Europe, we still have an away goal rule in Africa. That will count a lot when the guys play the second leg at home. I still think that the second goal they conceded could have been avoided, honestly speaking. I thought Ronwen (Williams) could have done better with that shot because it wasn't really wide and he used a wrong technique when he tried to save ball. If he had used his left hand, the ball was going to go for a corner kick. But instead, he used a right hand and, in the process, helped the ball into the net. But those things happen in football. We must move on. In the second leg in Pretoria, the boys will be more comfortable and confident."
On What Downs Need To Do
Another former Downs player, Lovers Mohlala, believes that Mokwena's charges played well compared to the last time the teams met.
"Wydad has changed their style of play since the last time they played against Sundowns. This time around, they are playing a style that is similar to that of Sundowns. In the first leg, their main plan was to contain Sundowns and not allow them to play. I think that the first leg was a pound-for-pound match between the best teams on the continent and they really showed it on the day. Wydad Casablanca managed to score the second goal, but it was not convincing. Now Sundowns has to finish the work at home and shouldn't freeze like the last time they played a 2-2 draw in the CAF Champions League. What Sundowns need to do now is to go out and play. This is a final and there is no other match after this."
On Learning From Past Mistakes
Brent Carelse was part of the Brazilians team that was knocked out by Al Ahly in the 2007/08 Champions League. The former midfielder missed the first leg at the Cairo International Stadium in April 2007, which ended 2-0 in favour of the Egyptians, and only featured in the return leg that ended 2-2 at Loftus Versfeld. He warns the current team not to make the same mistakes when they take on Wydad in Tshwane.
"When South African teams play in North Africa, they face a hostile crowd and we were also up against it when we played against Al Ahly in 2007. Their crowd was hostile towards us and behind their team throughout the match. Mohamed Aboutrika was doing his thing in midfield, he was killing us. We lost the match 2-0 in Egypt and when they came here, our crowd was very friendly towards them. We were too nice. This coming weekend at Loftus, Sundowns supporters need to get behind their team because the players will need them. The players have also learnt how to play in African competitions. Sundowns has also learnt about time wasting and game management because it's all part of the game. They know that, and that is why they have been able to frustrate other local teams when they play at home because they know how to use that to their advantage. Sundowns have to go out there and win the game in the second leg. They have to make sure that they don't concede. They have to kill off the game in the first half and settle down the nerves. We have to try and close the door at the back."
It's All Delicately Poised
Despite beating the Chloorkop-based side five times in 13 games, the Moroccan outfit is yet to secure a victory on any of their six prior trips to the South African capital. All their wins were in Casablanca. Wydad have drawn three matches and lost three at Loftus Versfeld. With Peter Shalulile and Lucas Ribeiro Costa doubtful due to injury, Themba Zwane, who is Downs' leading scorer against Wydad with three goals, will certainly be the heartbeat of the side as usual and the team needs a big performance from him. Bunjira believes the Brazilians need to create more chances to stand a chance of winning.
"Sundowns will not be intimidated by Wydad because they will have a home crowd behind them. The second leg is going to be a different ball game altogether and it's not going be easy for Wydad. I believe that Sundowns can turn things around and win this trophy. Even though Sundowns conceded two goals, in a two-legged match and with an away goal, Sundowns have a very good chance. If they score early and take the lead, then things will turn around. If Sundowns were told before the match that the scoreline was going to be 2-1 (in Morocco), I'm sure they would have taken it. My only concern is that in the first leg, Sundowns didn't have a lot of creativity. I thought that Wydad had width and were well-organised at the back. In the second leg, Sundowns will need someone who can unlock the opposition defence. Whenever you are facing a strong and disciplined defence, you need someone who can dribble. If Sundowns keep on playing straightforward, it will be really difficult to create chances.
They need someone who can dismantle the stubborn Wydad defence and someone who can take them on and unsettle them. Wydad is a very disciplined team and they are very compact at the back. Maybe the coach should allow the forward players to take risks. 1-0 can give the trophy to Sundowns, so there is no need to rush. It's good to be careful so that they (Wydad) don't score. If Wydad score an away goal, it will be very difficult for Sundowns. The first priority for Sundowns is to protect the goals and not concede. Even if the score is 0-0 at half-time, it's still good. Teams like Wydad play on the adrenalin of their fans and when they come to South Africa, they won't be playing at the level that they were playing in Casablanca. We might see a different Wydad team altogether that is passive and affected by the environment in Pretoria. In Morocco, they had their fans, brothers and uncles supporting them and they won't have that in Pretoria. They won't have the same support and hopefully that will help Sundowns. I can guarantee you they won't be as good as they were in the first leg."
Final Is Different
Perhaps fresh in the memories of Masandawana fans is the heartbreaking 2-2 draw in last season's CAF Champions League's semi-finals when Mothobi Mvala scored an own goal in the dying minutes of the game to send the Moroccans into the final on the away goal rule following a 0-0 draw in the first leg. Mohlala warns that Downs' performance this weekend will be different from that encounter.
"The feeling of a semi-final and final are not the same. When you play in the semifinal, you know that you are playing to qualify for the next stage of the tournament, but the attitude of playing in the final will be different. This is a cup final, the atmosphere will totally change. This is a do-or-die match. If Sundowns take an early lead at home, they won't play the way they did in Casablanca. They will play a completely different style. In Casablanca, they were chasing the match and once Wydad scored the first goal, they thought that they could defend their lead and that is what allowed Sundowns to come back. Sundowns must go there and play their hearts out. The fans must play their role and fill the stadium. If you support Sundowns, you must go to the stadium and rally behind the team. We have to do what Wydad fans did when their team was playing at home. The support you get from your home fans is an upper hand and if we go out in numbers, it will frustrate the opponents. The coach can say so much and the rest of what will happen on the pitch is up to a player, and I think Sundowns have all the weapons. They just have to make sure that they finish off the game. Every player that joins Sundowns is there to leave a legacy, you should look at yourself. Players like Hlompho Kekana, Denis Onyango and Esrom Nyandoro all played their part and left a legacy, and now these players must also play to leave a legacy."
