Mamelodi Sundowns Progress in CAF Champions League Despite Losing to Stade Malien
Mamelodi Sundowns managed to secure a spot in the CAF Champions League semi-finals despite a tense 2-0 defeat to Mali’s Stade Malien in the quarter-final second leg on Sunday in Bamako.
The visitors had a challenging outing at the March 22 Stadium, falling two goals behind within the first 40 minutes as Malien threatened to derail their campaign. Things worsened for Miguel Cardoso’s side when they were reduced to 10 men with just 13 minutes remaining.
Stade Malien defeat Sundowns in Bamako
Malien wasted no time taking control, with Taddeus Nkeng heading in a first-minute goal. Nkeng was perfectly positioned at the back post to meet a precise cross from Mamadou Traore.
Sundowns nearly responded seven minutes later when Nunos Santos struck a well-timed volley, but it was blocked by a defender.
In the 16th minute, controversy struck when Malien appeared to double their lead with Nkeng scoring from an offside position. The referee initially allowed the goal before overturning it after a brief review, giving Sundowns a temporary reprieve.
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However, the Brazilians’ struggles continued when Haman Mandjan scored Malien’s second goal just before halftime. After his initial shot hit the crossbar, Mandjan slotted the rebound past Ronwen Williams, giving the home team a 2-0 advantage at the break.
At the restart, Sundowns pushed forward, looking to reduce the deficit. Iqraam Rayners thought he had scored in the 54th minute, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
Their hopes suffered a further blow when Aubrey Modiba received a straight red card for a dangerous tackle, leaving Sundowns a man short. Cardoso responded by bringing Divine Lunga on for Santos, and the team defended resolutely to preserve their aggregate lead.
Thanks to their 3-0 victory in the first leg in Pretoria, Sundowns progressed 3-2 on aggregate despite the second-leg loss and will now face four-time champions Esperance in the semi-finals.
Source: Briefly News
