Caf Champions League winners Mamelodi Sundowns beat Confederation Cup holders TP Mazembe 1-0 in the CAF Super Cup at Loftus Stadium on Saturday night.Sundowns started like a house on fire and just 18 seconds in Themba Zwane had a shot blocked and penalty appeal waved away by Egyptian referee Ghead Grisha.
The Brazilians kept up the pressure for the next few minutes and looked determined to score the first goal but then could have been 1-0 down with just nine minutes on the clock as Mazembe almost scored with their first chance.
Ben Malongo Ngita was played clean through on goal but a last-ditch defensive tackle sent the ball crashing off the upright, before the follow-up shot from Malongo was brilliantly kept out by a diving Denis Onyango, who got back to divert the ball onto the same post.
It was a huge let-off for Sundowns and a massive save by the Ugandan international goalkeeper and CAF Player of the Year.
Mazembe grew in confidence after that moment and did not allow Sundowns to continue dictating the game, however, in the second half The Brazilians found another gear and kept causing problems for the visitors.
Hlompho Kekana tested goalkeeper Sylvain Gbohouo with a long-range piledriver that went straight at him, and Tiyani Mabunda was also foiled brilliantly by the goalkeeper after playing a one-two with Percy Tau inside the 18-area.
But it was Anthony Laffor who had the best chance of the match in the 78th minute as he received a pass inside the box from Tau, expertly dummied the defender, but then could not find the finish with the outside of his boot as Gbohouo made another great save.
Sundowns did, however, get the breakthough in the 83rd minute when Brazilian defender Ricardo Nascimento kept his composure from the penalty spot to slot the winning goal, right into the bottom-left corner, after Kekana was adjudged to have been tackled from behind by Mazembe defender Issama Mpeko.
Pitso Mosimane's African champions become the second South African team to lift the Super Cup following the 1996 success of Orlando Pirates when they beat JS Kabylie of Algeria.
Photo Credit : Caf online
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