Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns tormented and teased their hapless Algerian opponents CR Belouizdad who suffered a 2-1 defeat in the second leg of the CAF Champions League quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon.
After scores were tied at 1-all at the break, the classy Sundowns outfit added a second-half goal to highlight their entry into the semi-final of the continent's blue riband club competition. It was the first time in three seasons that the South African Premiership champs have reached the semi-finals of the competition they won in 2016.
The visiting Algerians surprisingly opted for a five-man defence in their 5-3-2 playing pattern considering they should be the ones chasing the goals after they suffered a 4-1 thrashing in Algiers last week.
Belouizdad's five-man defence did force Sundowns to shoot from range when they entered the final third and they did well to block eight shots at goal in the opening stanza.
Despite Sundowns dominating possession, the visitors opened the score midway through the first half after they were awarded their only first-half corner.
Leftback Youcef Laouafi's set-piece kick landed plum in the centre of Sundowns' penalty box and Belouizdad's captain Sofiane Bouchar outjumped three Sundowns defenders to head the home (1-0).
This advance against the run of play failed to lift Belouizdad's game as Sundowns continued to choke the opposition with their vice-like grip on the match.
As the game wound towards the end of the first half, it was one-way traffic and the match was played almost entirely in the Belouizdad's half as Sundowns enjoyed a massive 68% possession advantage.
There was a long delay after Sundowns’ striker Peter Shalulile suffered an injury after taking a kick from an opposition defender on his chest. It looked like a clear-cut case for a penalty and Mauritanian referee Abdel Aziz Bouh needed VAR's help to determine an outcome.
After a lengthy consultation, he awarded Belouizdad a free-kick. In the absence of an official explanation, it looked like Shalulile was ruled offside.
A minute ahead of the break, Sundowns scored a great team goal and captain Themba Zwane was the scorer. Sundowns sparked an attack from just inside the halfway line and after great inter-play which bamboozled Belouizdad and Zwane. Belouizdad's goalkeeper Alexis Guendouz seemed also mesmerised and remained static when the ball flew past him (1-1).
Belouizdad found this setback hard to swallow and they protested long and hard after the half ended in a show of rank-poor sportsmanship. With these two first-half goals, Sundowns enjoyed an emphatic 5-2 aggregate.
When second-half play started, Belouizdad came within a whisker of scoring, but defender Aubrey Modiba brought off a face-saving tackle in front of the Sundowns’ post.
Moments later, Sundowns transferred play with telling effect down the right channels and Belouizdad were unable to thwart the attack. They made a mess of trying to deal with a goalmouth cross and an unmarked Thapelo Morena headed home the easiest of goals (2-1).
This goal moved the aggregate up to 6-2 in Sundowns' favour and there were tell-tale signs the fight had gone out of the Algerians.
@Herman_Gibbs
IOL Sport