Blunt Sundowns held to frustrating home draw by Maniema

Mamelodi Sundowns played to a disappointing goalless draw at home to DR Congo outfit AS Maniema Union in their opening game of the Caf Champions League group stage campaign on Tuesday night.

It was an uninspiring performance from a team looking to make amends for the Carling Knockout final defeat to Magesi FC. 

From a Sundowns point of view, there was little to write home about in the first half as they struggled to break down the stubborn Maniema defence at Loftus Versfeld. The DRC team didn’t give much away, they sat back in their own half and handed the initiative to the Brazilians who failed to take control of the game.

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Their coach Manqoba Mngqithi was looking for a strong response from the cup final defeat and he would’ve been unhappy with the display in the opening 45 minutes as the game went into the break goalless despite having 70% of ball possession. 

Sundowns make six changes

Mngqithi made six changes to the team that folded in the cup decider against Magesi last Saturday. Mothobi Mvala, Bathusi Aubaas, Aubrey Modiba, Peter Shalulile and Khuliso Mudau were dropped to the bench while Iqraam Rayners missed the game with an unspecified injury. 

They were replaced by Malibongwe Khoza, Divine Lunga, Thapelo Morena, Kobamelo Kodisang, Erwin Saavedra and Arthur Sales but the changes didn’t have the desired effect as Maniema’s defence was largely untroubled. 

The game opened up in the second half with both teams looking to get their noses in front. Sundowns pushed more numbers forward looking to break the deadlock and in the process left themselves exposed at the back. 

The Tshwane giants were lucky not to find themselves behind with Japhte Kitambala hitting the crossbar after Sundowns failed to clear their lines from a corner kick in the 70th minute. The frustration on the field of play spilled over to the stands, with Sundowns faithful getting impatient with how the game was unfolding.

Sundowns’ Costa hits the bar

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Ribeiro Costa nearly snatched all three points for Masandawana with three minutes left to play but his venomous strike on the edge of the area beat the Maniema goalkeeper Brudel Liyongo but came off the woodwork.

In the end, the stalemate will feel like two points dropped by the 2016 champions who have made it clear that their biggest target is the champions league.