Sundowns complete CAF Champions League quarters line-up
Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa filled the last CAF Champions League quarter-finals place after drawing 1-1 with FAR Rabat of Morocco in Pretoria on Sunday.
Mamelodi Sundowns. Picture: @Masandawana/X
JOHANNESBURG - Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa filled the last CAF Champions League quarter-finals place after drawing 1-1 with FAR Rabat of Morocco in Pretoria on Sunday.
Namibian Peter Shalulile put the home side ahead after 12 minutes and substitute El Amine Zouhzouh equalised with seven minutes of regular time remaining.
FAR, who reached the last eight of the premier African club competition for the first time last weekend, topped Group B with 10 points after an unbeaten campaign.
Sundowns, champions in 2016 and semi-finalists in the last two editions, secured nine points, one more than three-time title-holders Raja Casablanca of Morocco.
Group debutants Maniema Union from the Democratic Republic of Congo - 1-0 losers away to Raja - failed to win a match and finished last with three points.
Shalulile nodded into the net from close range after a free-kick and dominant Sundowns would not have been flattered by a bigger half-time advantage.
FAR also had to soak up second-half pressure before Zouhzouh struck a cross into the net to stun the home crowd.
A concern for recently appointed Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso will have been the performance of Ronwen Williams, who was voted goalkeeper of the year at the 2024 CAF awards.
Williams persisted in putting teammates under pressure with ill-advised passes and almost gifted FAR a goal with a weak clearance just before the visitors levelled.
Title-holders Al Ahly and Pyramids of Egypt, Al Hilal of Sudan, Esperance of Tunisia, Algerian club Mouloudia Alger and Orlando Pirates of South Africa complete the quarter-final line-up.