Mamelodi Sundowns have just become richer. The club known as Kabo Yellow beat Tanzania’s Young Africans in a CAF Champions League quarterfinal match on Friday night at the Loftus Versveld Stadium.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS BEAT YOUNG AFRICANS TO ADVANCE TO THE CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
The second leg finished much like the first. The Tanzanians and Sundowns played to a goalless clash on Saturday, 30 March, in Dar es Salaam. Last night, the two sides delivered the same score in Tshwane after 90 minutes, but penalties had to find a winner to advance to the next round. Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams saved a crucial penalty to seal a 3-2 win. Financially, the result meant Kabo Yellow have bagged $1.2 million (R22.4 million) prize money for making the semi-finals. The price could increase to $2 million (R37.4 million) for winning the semifinals, and $4 million (R75 million) for winning the final.
The new CAF Champions League prize money. Image: CAF Online.
VAR CONTROVERSY
Meanwhile, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) disallowed what had looked like a wonderful goal from Young Africans’ Stephane Aziz Ki. According to VAR, the 58th shot did beat Williams, but the entire circumference of the ball did not cross the line, as per VAR rules. Yanga’s coach, Miguel Gamoundi, was rather furious and later told the media that his team was robbed.
“Yeah, and I can’t find words to appease him, of course, the feeling [of being robbed] like any other coach… I would rather on my side be extremely complimentary of the opposition instead of taking that direction,” Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena told iDiskiTimes.
“Because there was a lot of other situations, like the elbow and Divine Lunga inside the box and that could have been a penalty.
“So I don’t want to talk about those things, maybe if I had lost maybe I would also take that direction. But let me be gracious and respectful in victory and and say that they were worthy opponents, a good side and when we enjoyed playing against both home and away,” the Sundowns mentor concluded.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Sundowns will play the winner between ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast and Tunisia’s Esperance. The game will kick off at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, in Abijan at 22:00 this evening.
Meanwhile, insatiable Egyptian giants Al Ahly have also qualified for the semifinals after beating Tanzania’s Simba SC 3-0 on aggregate. The fourth quarterfinal battle will be between Angola’s Petro Luanda and TP Mazembe of Congo at 18:00 in Talatona tonight.
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