Mamelodi Sundowns were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Saint-Éloi Lupopo in their CAF Champions League Group C encounter at the TP Mazembe Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Sundowns face tense final group match
Jayden Adams spared the Brazilians’ blushes with a second-half equaliser after Enoch Molia had given the hosts the lead midway through the opening stanza.
Heading into the clash, Sundowns knew that maximum points would significantly boost their chances of reaching the knockout stages, especially after MC Alger’s 2-1 victory over Al-Hilal on Friday blew the group wide open. However, the stalemate in Lubumbashi leaves the Tshwane giants facing a tense final match of their group stage campaign against MC Alger.
Sundowns almost made the perfect start when Khulumani Ndamane rose highest from an early corner, but his header drifted narrowly wide in the opening minute. That early miss would come back to haunt them as Lupopo struck first in front of a packed stadium.
The home side went ahead in the 19th minute when Jean Tukumbane beat the offside trap before squaring the ball for Molia, who tapped in unmarked at the far post to hand Lupopo the lead.
Astroturf problems
The astroturf surface made it difficult for Sundowns to settle into their trademark passing rhythm, with the uneven pitch forcing a more direct approach. That message appeared to have been driven home by coach Miguel Cardoso at the interval as his side adjusted to the conditions after the restart.
The equaliser duly arrived from a set-piece 10 minutes into the second half, with Adams heading home from an Aubrey Modiba corner. The goal injected fresh belief into Sundowns, who began to push for a winner with renewed intensity.
They were unfortunate not to go ahead in the 72nd minute when Grant Kekana’s snap shot crashed against the crossbar following another Modiba corner. The delivery was flicked on at the near post by Teboho Mokoena before falling kindly to Kekana, whose effort rattled the woodwork.
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