CAF crunch game for SuperSport
SuperSport will need their inspiring midfield strongman to be on song if they are to lift pan-African title
SUPERSPORT United, fondly known as Matsatsantsa a Pitori, will need all the support they can get to overcome TP Mazembe tomorrow night.
The club has granted fans wearing blue T-shirts free access to the CAF Confederations Cup decider at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville.
SuperSport go into the second leg trailing from a 2-1 defeat against TP Mazembe last weekend in the DRC. The men in blue go in as the underdogs considering Mazembe’s experience on the continent; they have won six titles in recent years.
There’s hope that SuperSport will be able to turn the tables as they have the benefit of home-ground advantage, plus the away goal scored in Lubumbashi. Ideally, a 1-0 win will be enough for SuperSport to be crowned champions and claim their maiden continental title.
The winners will pocket R14 million and the runners-up about R8m.
Matsatsantsa finished their group in second place on 10 points, two behind the top side Mazembe.
The Tshwane outfit were unbeaten in their six group matches, winning two and drawing four. Their only win at home was a 4-1 triumph over Gabon’s CF Mounana.
In the knockout phase, Matsatsantsa were drawn to play Zambian side Zesco United, which played Mamelodi Sundowns in last year’s CAF Champions League.
Matsatsantsa need all the support they can get in Mazembe clash
The first leg in Atteridgeville finished goalless and then Thuso Phala scored a brace in the second leg. It finished 2-2 and Matsatsantsa progressed to the semi-final.
In the last four, SuperSport were held to a 1-1 draw by Club Africain in the first leg, however, a brilliant performance in the second leg saw them winning 3-1.
The kick-off is at 8.15pm tomorrow with gates opening at 4pm. The Star wishes Matsatsantsa well and rallies behind them.
THE CONDUCTOR of the SuperSport United orchestra, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, is back to weave his magic and help the Tshwane side produce sweet music tomorrow after a somewhat off-key display in Lubumbashi.
Matsatsantsa a Pitori go into the second leg of the Caf Confederation Cup tomorrow night at Lucas Moripe Stadium confident after losing by only 2-1 in the first leg at Stade TP Mazembe on Sunday.
SuperSport created a number of opportunities to return with a draw or even a win but they fluffed them. The important away goal came from 19-year-old Sipho Mbule, who opened his SuperSport account with a thunderbolt that shook the Ravens and made more remarkable by the fact that he only started because Letsholonyane was suspended.
Mbule is likely to keep his place which would see coach Eric Tinkler deploy a three-man midfield with Mbule, Letsholonyane and captain Dean Furman.
Letsholonyane’s role at SuperSport goes beyond what he offers the club in a match – experience and a calm head with the skill to find a man in blue anywhere on the field. The 35-year-old also mentors Mbule and Teboho Mokoena (20), who are the club’s future.
“It’s our duty as so-called experienced players to try and help these young boys,” Letsholonyane said. “We’ve been through this road. Our duty is to try and minimise their mistakes so that they can realise their potential quicker than we did. For me, it’s important that I keep talking to them and help them grow their game. They just need to be humble, not get carried away by this attention and keep working hard.”
Letsholonyane’s experience will be vital against the five-time Caf Champions League winners and holders of the Confederation Cup. The Ravens know what’s needed to get a win at this stage, while Matsatsantsa are making their first appearance in a continental cup final. What shows Mazembe’s class is that they are a shadow of the all-conquering side they were but they still had enough in them to reach the final. This final is the fourth continental final a South African team is involved in since 2013. It shows the change in mindset with players looking beyond than just conquering South Africa.
“I think that it’s growth,” Letsholonyane said. “When you are a kid you start by crawling, then you walk, jog and eventually start running. It’s the same as us in the country. We obviously wanted to do good and be better locally so that we are confident enough to compete in the continental competitions. (Mamelodi) Sundowns did it. (Orlando) Pirates did it. That gave other teams in the PSL hope that this is achievable. Now everyone, when they have an opportunity to compete in the continent, gives it their best and they work hard. The results are there for everyone to see that if you do your best, you end up being involved in such finals.”
SuperSport have opened the gates for South Africans in a bid to fill Lucas Moripe Stadium. Fans wearing blue will enter for free. Those who will make the trip to Atteridgeville could see history as Matsatsantsa have thrived when they have been boxed into a corner.
“It would be a great feeling and a great achievement for me to be an African champion,” Letsholonyane said. “I have won everything locally, now what’s left is a continental title. We have an opportunity to get one. It would be a big achievement for me.”