FOUR-MIDABLE SA ’DOWNS SWALLOW ‘BIRDS’

PRETORIA – Mbabane Swallows’ hopes of going past the second preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League took a hit last night, following a crushing 0-4 defeat against South Africa’s soccer heavyweights Mamelodi Sundowns.

The ‘Beautiful Birds’ struggled to fly under floodlights and in front of over 300 local fans, at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria. Sundowns put three goals past Sandanezwe Mathabela in the first half and one in the second  half to be  in the driving seat ahead of next week’s Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League return leg. Their goals came from the boots of Lucas Ribeiro, Mosa Lebusa and Iqraam Rayners, to put behind a jittery start to the season which has earned Coach, Manqoba Mnqithi criticism. In the return match next Friday, Caleb ‘No Nonsense’ Ngwenya’s side require a win by at least five unanswered goals to claim the nearly E12.3 million group stage CAF incentive. The red and white outfit reached this stage after eliminating Clube Ferroviário da Beira from Mozambique with a 1-0 aggregate score.

Experience

Furthermore, trailing at this critical stage in a continental competition is not a new experience for the ‘Beautiful Birds’. Many still recall their triumphant entry into the 2017 Confederation Cup group stages. At the Somhlolo National Stadium, the capital city giants stunningly overturned a 1-0 first leg defeat against regional giants AC Leopard from Congo, getting a shocking 4-3 aggregate win. Sundowns were exempted from the first phase of the tournament by virtue of being among CAF’s top five ranked teams. They dominated the match from the first whistle, as the local side’s midfield did not click.

In terms of scoring goals for Sundowns, the sky was the limit, as their tagline goes but goalkeeper Mathabela pulled off a few crucial saves to avoid a huge deficit. The ‘Brazilians’ began harvesting goals as early as when the game was two minutes old. Swallows conceded a soft penalty and Lucas Ribeiro converted it. Brazilian-born striker, Mosa Lebusa doubled the advantage just in the 17th minute, with a free header connecting Morena’s corner kick. Swallows were unlucky, however, in the 24th minute, when they were not awarded a penalty when Bongi ‘Karas’ Magagula was fouled inside the area. As Swallows tried to gather together and play in unity, the ‘Brazilians’ hit the third goal before the breather.  

Skill

Former Stellenbosch striker, Iqraam Rayners snatched his debut goal, chipping the ball past the defenders to beat Mathabela in the far post. He finished Ribeiro’s fine work of skill inside the box just six minutes before half-time. On resumption of play, the 2023/24 CAF Champions League semi-finalists continued where they left off. In the 53rd minute, Ribeiro was on the double, beating Sifiso Mabila, who was sprawled on the turf. Swallows tried in vain to turn the game around but could not pull one back, making it their second consecutive CAF game failing to score.

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