Kaizer Chiefs and Stellenbosch FC were held to away draws but are still very much in their ties, with the return legs to come next weekend.
REMO STARS 1-5 MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Mamelodi Sundowns’ trip to Nigeria to face Remo Stars looked on paper arguably the toughest assignment for all four South African clubs this weekend, but they made light work of their opponents in a fantastic win. It is the first time in four attempts they have won a game in Nigeria in CAF Interclub competitions and are now certain to make the group stages. They led 2-0 at halftime thanks to goals from Tashreeq Matthews and Peter Shalulile, before turning on the style in the second half. Their new recruit from Portugal, Miguel Reisinho, netted his first goal for the club before Brazilian Arthur Sales was on target to make it 4-0. There was a slight hiccup when Samson Olasupo pulled a goal back for the home side with 13 minutes to go, but Sundowns had the last laugh as Tsiki Ntsabeleng also got his first goal for the club following his move from FC Dallas in Major League Soccer. The return leg is next Sunday in Pretoria.
ST ELOI LUPOPO 3-0 ORLANDO PIRATES
Orlando Pirates will have it all to do in next weekend’s home leg of this CAF Champions League second-round tie after shipping three goals in Lubumbashi in one of the shock results of the round so far. Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou left several of his big names on the bench, including the likes of Oswin Appollis and Patrick Maswanganyi, and it was a move that backfired as Pirates were dealt a heavy defeat. It is, in fact, their joint second-biggest ever loss in African club competition and leaves them with a mountain to climb. Wanet Kashala gave the home side the lead after just three minutes before Dramane Kambou added a second with 20 minutes remaining. That result would have been bad enough, but Jean Tukumbane scored a third late on. It means if the Congolese get a goal in Saturday’s second leg in Orlando, Pirates will need to score five to win the tie.
SIMBA 0-0 KAIZER CHIEFS
Kaizer Chiefs were held to a goalless draw in Lubumbashi in Saturday’s CAF Confederation Cup second-round, first-leg fixture. It was a game of few chances, but Chiefs had the best of them, with Ashley du Preez the biggest culprit. He botched a tap-in five yards from goal with the net gaping but somehow spooned the ball over the bar. Chiefs will be favourites to advance, but like Pirates, they are vulnerable to the away goal. The return leg is in Soweto on Saturday.
15 DE AGOSTO 0-0 STELLENBOSCH FC
Stellenbosch also played to a 0-0 draw in this CAF Confederation Cup second-round, first-leg fixture in Equatorial Guinea. It was a tough trip to Ebebiyín and will be equally difficult on the way back, with the return leg set for Sunday in Cape Town. The weather conditions and poor pitch did not help Stellenbosch’s cause, but coach Steve Barker is optimistic they will finish the job, saying: “We were the better team, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to convert one or two of the chances that we created. But the players have done well to come away with a draw in these conditions.
