Tag: Mamelodi Sundowns

Sundowns, Zamalek win big to reach CAF Champions League group stage

Posted on by editor

The first four teams stormed  into the group stage of the 2022-23 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League after winning their return fixtures of the second preliminary round on Friday.

Mamelodi Sundowns, CR Belouizdad, Petro de Luanda and Zamalek are the first four teams to confirm their place.

Sundowns, the 2016 Champions, earned another slot in the group phase with a well worked 8-1 victory over Seychelles champions La Passe, progressing with a massive 15-1 aggregate score. They had won the first leg 7-0 last weekend to put one foot in the group phase.

In the return tie, Cassius Mailula scored a hattrick, Gift Motupa two while Thapelo Morena, Hashim Domingo and Neo Maema scored one each. Morena opened the scoring after eight minutes unmarked at the back post before La Passe equalized in the 37th minute through Florent Rajaoniasy’s bouncing header off a cross from the right.

The visitors briefly had a dream of walking toe to toe with Sundowns, but that was quickly put out when Mailula scored the first of his three with a beautiful backheel from a cross on the left.

He added his second at the stroke of halftime for a 3-1 lead at the break before Sundowns could go on the rampage in the second half with five unanswered goals, completely outplaying their opponents.

In Alexandria, Egyptian giants Zamalek also progressed to the group phase after a well worked 5-1 victory over Burundi’s Flambeau du Centre for a 6-1 aggregate score.

Ahmed Sayed ‘Zizo’ was the star of the White Knights as he scored a hattrick with Ibrahima Ndiaye and Youssef Osama Nabih scoring one each.

Leonard Gakwaya had drawn the Burundian champions level in the 25th minute to cancel out Zizo’s fourth minute opener, but the home side went to the break with a 3-1 lead, and cemented their victory with two more goals in the second half.

Meanwhile, Algeria’s CR Belouizdad who reached the quarter finals of last season’s competition also progressed after overturning a 2-1 first leg loss against Malian side Djoliba, winning 2-0 in the return tie to progress 3-2 on aggregate.

Miloud Rebiai and Abderrahmane Bourdim scored the all-important goals in either half to send the Algerians to the group phase.

Elsewhere, Angola’s Petro de Luanda, semi-finalists of last year’s edition also earned a group stage berth after a 1-0 win at home against South Africa’s Cape Town City. They progressed 4-0 on aggregate after winning the first leg last weekend 3-0.

Leonardo Manuel Isola Ramos alias Cabibi scored the winner in the return tie late in the second half.

Cape Town, La Passe, Djoliba and Flambeau will now all drop to the second additional preliminary round in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.

CAF Communication Department 

History as Mamelodi Sundowns join EA SPORTS™ FIFA 23

Posted on by editor

PSL champions  Mamelodi Sundowns Friday announced a historic partnership deal  with EA SPORTS.

The partnership will see Masandawana positioned as the only African team in the latest edition of the world-renowned FIFA 23 video game title.

In the club’s official announcement, it has been confirmed that South Africa’s reigning domestic league champions will feature in FIFA 23, the latest season of the game, when it launches on 30 September 2022.

The agreement designates EA SPORTS as Sundowns’ exclusive sports video gaming partner, while there are numerous in-game integrations that will pay homage to the rich heritage, legacy and success of a team also affectionately known as Masandawana.

As an ambitious, inspiring, dynamic and entertaining family-rooted club that aspires to be the biggest African football team in the world, this announcement serves as further recognition of Sundowns’ ever-increasing global appeal.

Along with EA SPORTS’ introduction of Mamelodi Sundowns, new club partnerships also include Rangers F.C and Celtic F.C, in addition to extended partnerships with Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and Leeds United who all, alongside a renowned roster of partners, continue to help deliver the most authentic and immersive experiences for football fans globally.

Speaking after the historic and long-awaited announcement was made on Friday, Tlhopie Motsepe, the 33-year old Chairman of Mamelodi Sundowns FC said: “Sport has the unique ability to bring people together, and no sport unites people as powerfully as football does in Africa. From its first introduction in 1993, the FIFA video game series has played a similar role in bringing Africans together around gaming consoles across the continent, and more recently, it has brought African gamers to the world.

“Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club is delighted to be part of the EA SPORTS roster of teams and is humbled to represent our continent in the latest edition of FIFA 23. For the longest time, supporters of South African football have pleaded with us to get the team included on the platform. Now, we can finally give gamers the chance to play as The Brazilians of Africa, Bafana Ba Style (The Boys with Style) and take on the best clubs in global football. This is a special milestone in Mamelodi Sundowns’ history and I would like to thank EA SPORTS and Roc Nation Sports International for believing in the club.”

These sentiments were echoed by Michael Yormark, President of Roc Nation Sports International, the sports and entertainment agency that facilitated this partnership.

“This is yet another hugely significant moment in the history of the Mamelodi Sundowns football club,” Yormark commented.

“When Roc Nation Sports International first teamed up with Sundowns in a dynamic collaboration last year, we were committed to amplifying the club’s inspiring story as a team that truly embodies their motto ‘The Sky is the Limit’. This partnership with EA SPORTS is yet another testament to this club mantra. Congratulations to Sundowns and all of their supporters.”

James Salmon, Marketing Director of EA SPORTS FIFA said it was “an exciting day to welcome Mamelodi Sundowns to the EA SPORTS family”.

“Partnering with Mamelodi Sundowns will enable us to continue to deliver authentic and comprehensive interactive football experiences for fans to enjoy in FIFA 23 and beyond.”

EA SPORTS FIFA 23 assets are available to download on the official EA press site at PRESS.EA.COM .

Mamelodi Sundowns 

Sundowns trash Chiefs in DStv Premiership

Posted on by editor

DStv Premiership giants Mamelodi Sundowns trashed Kaizer Chiefs 4-0 in a South African top tier football fixture on Saturday.

The home side had the perfect start in front of a sold out Loftus Versfeld Stadium as Gaston Sirino swiftly made his way into the Chiefs box as early as three minutes on the clock and laid a pass onto Peter Shalulile who caused a panic in the AmaKhosis’s defense, after dealing with Shalulile’s strike, the visitors’ inaccuracy of passing to each other at the back opened the scoring lines for Downs as Sirino intercepted Siyabonga Ngezana’s backpass to goalie Bruce Bvuma, the Uruguayan international opened the scoring and netted his first goal of the new season.

Masandawana built upon a structured attacking approach, choosing the right moments to transition and battled out most of their duels in the middle of the pitch. Shalulile was mixed in the action of attack in the battle, the Namibian international received a defense splitting pass from Neo Maema and charged up towards Bvuma, but the striker was brought down in the box as the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Shalulile delivered a cracker of a shot against Bvuma and opened his scoring account for the 2022-23 Premier Soccer League.

After just fifteen minutes of opening play, Bafana Ba Style were leading the day with two goals to zero as they continued to deliver top-quality performance at both ends of the pitch. Andile Jali, who was handed his first start in the campaign was warned by the referee for bringing Siyethemba Sithebe down, but no card was issued for the Matatiele born star. The Soweto team crafted their moments in going forward to challenge the Downs defense, Cole Alexander’s hot shot at the half hour mark hit the side of Ronwen Williams net and caused minor worries for Sundowns.

The Brazilians contained the visiting team for a majority of the first half by winning personal duels across the pitch as the basis for this performance, cheered on by the crowd. Chiefs had one more chance to find a goal before half time, Khama Billiat’s pass to Yusuf Maart looked promising but nothing resulted from the attempt. Sundowns headed into the break with two goals ahead of Chiefs who could not find the back of the net thus far.

As the game returned from the break, Downs defense was called into action early in the second half with threats coming in from Reeve Frosler who missed a sitter of a goal for AmaKhosi. Maema and Themba Zwane did the job in some style with combination play to connect with Shalulile, the 28-year-old striker scored his second goal in the match to extend the advantage to 3-0.

After contesting for the ball with the visitors fighting to reach The Brazilians final third, Teboho Mokoena was called into the referee’s book after bringing Kgaogelo Sekgotha at the edge of the box. Th Zimbabwe international, Billiat stepped up to face Williams as he took the penalty shot, but the Bafana international shotstopper denied AmaKhosi twice as he made two brilliant saves.

Bafana Ba Style made changes to their lineup, Abubeker Nasir and Lyle Lakay marked their presence in the space of Sirino and Maema, followed by Sphelele Mkhulise who replaced an injured Jali. Thapelo Morena and Lesedi Kapinga were also introduced later in the clash when Modiba and Zwane made way.

Shalulile seemed to be going for his third goal when the clock hit 72 minutes, a pass from Nasir set the striker for a chance at a hatrick but the Namibian’s shot was misdirected as he came in contact with the Chiefs defence. Newly signed forward, Nasir scored the final winning goal with fifteen minutes to go before full time, the 22-year-old Ethiopian striker took a superb strike with his left foot for an exceptional start at the home of the Champions.

Williams ensured his side kept a clean sheet when he produced good saves and Masandawana sealed their second win out of their three games this season.

Sundowns geared up ahead of Kaizer Chiefs’ blockbuster

Posted on by editor

Mamelodi Sundowns are preparing for a blockbuster clash on Saturday in front of a sold out stadium when they meet Kaizer Chiefs for their third match in the DStv Premiership.

Masandawana’s home form has started off disappointing this season when they suffered a 1-0 defeat in their midweek encounter, Co-Coach Rulani Mokwena has affirmed that the meeting with AmaKhosi will be nail biting for football supporters.

“It’s going to be quite interesting, I think the fixture in itself has always presented that type of spectacle. I think you even see with the numbers inside the media room how much of the anticipation there is from the general public and football lovers, and that’s how it should be. In football nations the big football clubs drive the interests, they drive the passion and the play from a technical perspective.

“I know coach Arthur [Zwane] well, we come a long way from the days of Black Poison vs Galatasaray so we have huge respect for each other, but that’s as far as it goes because on match day at the end it’s 11 versus 11. And then it’s the quality of the pitch, the quality of the performances from the eleven players that ultimately gives you a good football match.

Bafana Ba Style ended the 2021-22 season with a home win against Amakhosi, and it has been over two seasons with the Tshwane Giants winning two of the four league games, while the Soweto based team have only won one game and drawn the other one in the 2021-22 season. Downs will aim to get back into their winning form at Loftus Stadium for Saturday afternoon’s match which has been named #SandawanaSupporterSaturday”.

“Generally at the beginning of the season you are still trying to accumulate match condition from collective perspective and also from an individual perspective, but when you have a short turnaround of time between matches it’s a good and it’s a bad. The good in the sense that particularly after a not so good performance you have an opportunity very soon to wash it out and get a good feeling.” Declared Coach Rulani.

“But the bad is that you don’t have a lot of time on the pitch to train schemes, tactics and reinforce certain tactical elements from the game and then that’s when you rely on video analysis to be able to check and analyze the performance which we already started by doing. That already was a major part of today’s training session, and then you focus on regenerating the players. Generally that’s why preseason is so important because that is the window that you get to instill the foundation from a tactical perspective and then you incorporate because you never train in isolation now in modern football because you’ve got no time.”

Mamelodi Sundowns lock horns with Kaizer Chiefs in the DStv Premiership on Saturday, 13 August at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. This match will be televised live on SuperSport TV, kick off is at 15H00 and gates open at 11H00.

Mamelodi Sundowns

Sundowns edge Cape Town City in DStv Premiership opener

Posted on by editor

Mamelodi Sundowns commenced their 2022/23 DStv Premiership season with a convincing 2-0 victory over Cape Town City on Friday night.

The Brazilians graced Cape Town Stadium with their new signings, goalkeeper Ronwen Williams marked his name in the starting line up, meanwhile Sipho Mbule started off from the bench for the first time as a Sandawana.

Downs’ intent matched the occasion early on, after five minutes Teboho Mokoena won a clever free kick after being fouled by Craig Martin.

City’s goalkeeper Hugo Marques made a save and kept the score at a level, however Haashim Domingo of Sundowns came close to goal minutes later.

Left winger Aubrey Modiba curled the ball a few meters outside the box where the ball met Domingo, the midfielder was unfortunate with his shot as it went over City’s goalposts.

Both teams played at high intensity with pressure from both the attackers and defenders on the two sides for much of the opening moments of the clash.

The Citizens pulled some strides in the 20th minute to put the backline under pressure, Khanyisa Mayo pulled off from Mosa Lebusa’s tackle and put in a cross in the 18 area box where Thabo Nodada was ready to put the ball behind the net but his efforts went past the side of Williams.

Themba Zwane who was leading the team as the captain in the battle looked deadly in counter attack, but Brice Ambina brought the midfielder down to stop Masandawana’s opportunity.

Neo Maema and Domingo also had the opportunity to open the scoring charts before approaching the half hour mark, Maema’s shot took a deflection on his own player when the referee called for an offside, while Domingo’s attempt went off target as the player lost balance before shooting.

The home team found their groove in the last minutes of the first half, goal attempts from Luke Daniels’ header nearly caused a host for the defending Champions and Marc Van Heerden’s attempt was brilliantly saved by Williams.

Bafana Ba Style ended the half with the most goal attempts and plenty of positive play in and around the final third as both teams went into the break with no goals scored.

There were no changes for either side at the break and it showed with a slower build up for the opening 10 minutes though Masandawana remained largely in control of proceedings.

Combinations between Peter Shalulile and Mshishi caused a stir in City’s box before Shalulile was gunned down, the referee called for play to go on as the ball went out for a corner kick.

The Brazilians’ first chance came after 55 minutes of play, Domingo was once again in the action of goal when he was obstructed to proceed into the box and the referee called for foul play. Modiba stepped up to face Marques, the left footer slotted the ball at the top corner to give the Tshwane visitors a lead in the battle.

After three minutes of play, Zwane extended the lead to 2-0 when the goalkeeper came out to meet Domingo’s pass, but Mshishi’s final touch was enough to beat Marques.

The home team’s opportunity to pull one back fell at the feet of Mpho Makola who was given a set piece, but his efforts went off target. The intensity of the game picked at a high with City trying to come back into the game, but The Brazilians stood firm in defense.

Williams made a dazzling save in the final 10 minutes of the match, a cross from Kajally Drammeh into the box was perfectly swept by the new Downs goalie.

Maema’s pass made its way to Namibian international star Shalulile who was blocked from taking a shot. Sundowns collected maximum points at the Cape Town Stadium as the game concluded with a 2-0 win.

No fans allowed in Sundowns-Belouizdad match set for Dar

Posted on by <a href="http://www.sportsnews.africa/byline/elvince-joshua-sports-africa/" rel="tag">ELVINCE JOSHUA - SPORTS AFRICA</a>

Any slim hopes of Tanzanian football fans watching two high-profile matches in a week by Tanzanian football fans have been thrown out of the window after Algerian side Belouizdad refused to allow spectators in their match against South African side Mamelodi Sundowns.

Belouizdad will host the ‘Brazilians’ on Sunday in a CAF Champions League encounter. The match will be played on a neutral ground after the Algerian government denied Sundowns entry in the country due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Just three days ago, Tanzanians were treated to a mouthwatering clash between Simba and record African champions Al Ahly, the match that the former won by a solitary goal. This was Simba’s second straight victory in the group that also has AS Vita, whom they beat by a similar margin away, and El Merreaikh of Sudan.

To lost Tanzanians, the rescheduled clash between Sundawns, would have gifted them a rare opportunity of staging and watching two CAF Champions League matches in a week after CAF moved the clash to a neutral ground.

“The match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Belouizdad will be played on Sunday, February 28 but with no fans in attendance,” the Tanzanian Football Federation TFF said in a statement seen by Sports News.

“This is a decision taken by the host,” the statement said.

The match will be played at the Benjamin Mkapa stadium in Dar es Salaam from 4pm.

The clash between the reigning defending champions Al Ahly and Simba was open to fans even though less than 10,000 spectators were allowed in line with the Covid-19 protocols.

The government of Tanzania does not enforce the health restriction measures, even though social distancing is strictly observed inside the stadium where fans sit at least one metre apart from one another, but only during CAF matches.

This is according to a directive by the continental football regulator. The same doesn’t apply during domestic matches that are open to all with  no covid tests or any other health regulations being observed.

Botswana Galaxy’s CAF match against Sundowns to go ahead despite Covid-19 variant

Posted on by <a href="http://www.sportsnews.africa/byline/xinhua/" rel="tag">XINHUA</a>

GABORONE, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) — Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy will go ahead with their away match against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the Confederations of African Football (CAF) Champions League despite rising cases of Covid-19 and reports of a new variant of the virus in their destination country, the club confirmed.

Galaxy is supposed to travel to Pretoria to face the former champions in the second leg match of the second round of preliminary matches on January 5.

They will be looking to overcome a 2-0 deficit from the first-round match played in Botswana last week.

According to the Jwaneng Galaxy spokesperson Tankiso Morake, the match will go ahead as scheduled as they have not received any communication on the contrary from the mother body CAF or Botswana health officials.

He said preparations for the tie are at an advanced stage and they are ready to travel for the match following all the set COVID-19 travel regulations.

South Africa recently announced discovery of a new variant of coronavirus that is reported to be spreading rapidly than the initial one, forcing the country to enact a curfew and tighten movement restrictions earlier this week.

Sport activities will however continue with match Kick-offs moved to earlier times to abide with the curfew.

Despite many countries announcing travel ban to South Africa over the past few days, Botswana has not yet imposed a travel ban to her neighbour.

Meanwhile Botswana Football Association (BFA) announced this week that they intend to resume league activities in February 2021 after a year-long hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

BFA President Maclean Letshwiti said they have been building momentum gradually on a trial basis and awaiting final clearance from health authorities.

Botswana’s Galaxy to fight Sundowns in CAF Champions League

Posted on by editor

GABORONE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) — Botswana Premier League champions Jwaneng Galaxy will play South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the first round of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League.

The match will be played at the new Lobatse Sports Complex, some 60km south of Gaborone on Tuesday afternoon. Galaxy’s 5-1 win over USD Zilimadjou from Comoros in the preliminary match put them on a collision course with the South African football giant.

Galaxy’s coach Sikalame Keatlholetswe said in an interview in Gaborone on Monday that he was not intimidated by the big stage presented by the high profile match. 

“I see no difference between the two teams. We are both CAF and FIFA members, we are champions here and they are champions that side,” he said.

Meanwhile, the return of goalkeeper Ezekiel Morake to the club on a two-year deal is expected to boost the team’s morale.

On the other hand, the loss of Sundowns defender Motjeka Madisha to a road crash last week could work for Galaxy.

The return leg match will be played at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa on January 5, 2021. 

Kenyan Brian Mandela joins South Africa champions Sundowns

Posted on by <a href="http://www.sportsnews.africa/byline/elvince-joshua-sports-africa/" rel="tag">ELVINCE JOSHUA - SPORTS AFRICA</a>

Kenyan international defender Brian Mandela has joined Mamelodi Sundowns.

Mandela, who was called to Kenya’s provisional squad that is set to face off with Comoros on November 11, penned a three-year deal with a further option to extend it for two more years.

The Kenyan International joins the 13-time South Africa Premier Soccer League champions, Masandawana as a free agent.

He last turned out for Maritzburg United.

Mandela painfully missed the last Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt with an injury despite making it to the Stars squad after he suffered an injury setback during the team’s camp in France.

The centre back comes with a wealth of international and local experience for the reigning champions.

The Kenya was previously linked with a move to Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) FC who even went ahead to announce their ‘acquisition’ of the former Tusker defender though Onyango later denied the report.

Sundowns who are the reigning league champions is owned by South African businessman Patrice Motsepe.

Mandela first moved to South Africa in 2012 to join the now ABC Motsepe based Santos.

Mamelodi Sundowns replace Pitso Mosimane with two head coaches

Posted on by <a href="http://www.sportsnews.africa/byline/elvince-joshua-sports-africa/" rel="tag">ELVINCE JOSHUA - SPORTS AFRICA</a>

Just how big a hole did Pitso Mosimane leave when he ditched Mamelodi Sundowns for Egyptian giants Al Ahly?

Sundowns, the South African Premier League champions answered that question with their replacement after appointing two coaches to fill the space left by the former Bafana Bafana tactician.

Sundowns on Sunday made a double ‘substitution’ following the appointments of Manqoba Mngqithi and Rhulani Mokwena as joint head coaches.

The duo is expected to share responsibilities in the dressing room, but should there be a case where a tough decision needs to be made and the two can’t agree, then the opinion of Manqoba will prevail when there is no consensus.

Manqoba and Rhulani have been with Sundowns for many years and were part of the technical team that was crowned champions of Africa in 2016. They also won the Premier Soccer League and other titles.

The joint appointment, a rare occurrence in football, was made because Sundowns’ board of directors was particularly keen to appoint a local coach to replace Pitso.

The new managers will be tasked with defending the PSL and also chase continental glory.

“They will also advance and continue with the objective that we stated in 2004, which is to make Mamelodi Sundowns one of the best clubs on the African continent,” reads the statement by club.

Pitso joined eight-time African champions on a two-year deal.

Ahly parted ways with Swiss coach Rene Weiler who took over the club for a little over one year.

Mosimane surely left a big hole in the heart of Sundowns’ technical bench when he took with him Kabelo Rangoaga who was the assistant coach and fitness trainer Musi Matlaba.

The duo will work with assistant coach Samy Komsan and goalkeepers’ coach Michel Iannacone who kept their positions.

Pitso’s appointment as Ahly coach saw him become the first non-Egyptian, African coach to lead the club in 113 years.

There is sport, and there is HEAVY METAL SPORT. Sports Africa is all about the latter: a kick-ass sports website that says we know sport! We are Africa’s number one online sports community created by true fans.

As fans first, and journalists second, we know how sports content should be presented. So say goodbye to those bland sites and welcome to the true home of sports.

Visit us for the most compelling sporting content from Africa and around the world.

We are bold! We are loud!

LATEST POSTS

Advantages and Disadvantages of Playing Free Slots

LET'S TALK

Contact us: For editorial enquiries and contributions.
editor@sportsnews.africa
For partnerships & advertisement.
partnerships@sportsnews.africa
© Copyright 2024 SPORTS AFRICA. All rights reserved