JOHANNESBURG - The key to winning the CAF Champions League isn’t so much being the most talented team in the continent, but it’s being the smartest and the strongest mentally.
Al-Ahly have those qualities in bucket-loads, which has seen them win the tournament a record eight times. At the heart of that success is making their home an impregnable fortress. They have lost a handful of matches at home in the tournament in the past decade.
They continued with that run last week in Cairo to beat Bidvest Wits 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League first round clash. The Clever Boys held their own against the continent’s powerhouse and if they were more clinical, they could have at least returned with an away goal.
But Wits have learned a thing or two on how to box cleverly on the continent, which is why they scheduled their game against Al-Ahly on Sunday at Bidvest Stadium to kick-off at 3pm.
“Wits are smart,” Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach Pitso Mosimane said. “We did that with Zamalek (in the first leg of the Champions League final last year) because all the games in Egypt are in the evening. So play during the day. All the games in Kampala are during the day, so play in the evening (against Kampala Capital City Authority).
"You must use your advantage. Wits are smart. They did very well (in Cairo in the first leg). I looked at their game and compared it to ours in Alexandria. They had the right tempo. They had quick players, Phakamani (Mahlambi) and (Gabadinho) Mhango. That’s it. Play like that against the Arabs and you frustrate them. They are always big at the back and slow. (Gavin) Hunt got it right. They can win (in the second leg). But they have to score.”
Sundowns’ ran Zamalek rugged on a hot day in Atteridgeville in the first leg of Champions League final, with the heat taking a lot out of Zamale. The Clever Boys have adopted a similar approach to make the most of their home advantage, and on Sunday the weather is expected to reach 26°C.
This element of boxing smart is something that has been lacking in South African clubs. Orlando Pirates once took a coastal team from Angola, Recreativo do Libolo, to Port Elizabeth. The Buccaneers lost that game. But when they took Zamalek to Mbombela, during the day, Pirates outclassed the Egyptians.
Their only flaw was that they didn’t take their chances after a dominant display. Zamalek bounced back in the second half and won 2-1, scoring twice in the last 18 minutes.
That should be another lesson for Wits. Playing the game during the day and tiring Al-Ahly is half the job done. They still need to score twice to reach the group stage for the first time in the club’s history. The experience of the likes of Moeneeb Josephs, Daine Klate and Sifiso Myeni will come in handy.