by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG – BY letting slip a seemingly manageable lead at the death, Mamelodi Sundowns have thrown Pyramids FC a lifeline in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League finals.
The South African champions conceded a solitary-goal advantage deep into stoppage time in Pretoria on Saturday, to change the dimension of next weekend’s second and final leg against the Egyptian side in Cairo.
Lucas Liberio Costa’ 54th minute curled effort appeared to have sealed victory but a lapse at the back gifted Wahid El Kharti the leveller at 90+4 minutes.
At 1-1, the decider is to kick off at a knife’s edge.
However, in a tournament where the feared away goals rule still applies, the elation by Pyramids players and management, and the dejection by Sundowns’, at the final whistle, said it all.
Miguel Cardoso, the Downs coach, points that there is still all to play for in Egypt.
“Obviously that 1-0 result is not similar to a 1-1 result,” he nonetheless stated the obvious at Saturday’s post-match conference.
“But the game is at halftime. So out of four parts, we still have two to play. We have to take the responsibility of playing to score one goal and go from there.”
Cardoso’s Pyramids counterpart, Krunoslav Jurcic, lamented that authorities had spurned a request to have their domestic midweek fixture postponed, to give the team more time to prepare for the Sundowns encounter.
Pyramids are away to Ceramica Cleopatra on Wednesday and thus, will only have two days to rest. Sundowns have completed their domestic campaign.
Jurcic remains confident however.
“Now, it’s all about Ceramica. If we think a lot (too much) into the future, it’s not a good job,” he said.
“We have to go step by step. Now the focus is on Ceramica. Then we start thinking about the second match against Sundowns.”
Sundowns, finalists on three occasions, seek a second title. Pyramids aim for their first.
