Top Five Moments from this past weekend in African and South African football

Kwane Peprah of Orlando Pirates during the CAF Confederation Cup game between Royal Leopards and Orlando Pirates at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga, South Africa on 27 February 2022. Picture: Dirk Kotze/BackpagePix

Kwane Peprah of Orlando Pirates during the CAF Confederation Cup game between Royal Leopards and Orlando Pirates at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga, South Africa on 27 February 2022. Picture: Dirk Kotze/BackpagePix

Published Feb 28, 2022

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This weekend saw a number of top performances on the African stage, here IOL sport soccer writer Herman Gibbs takes a look at the top five.

1

Orlando Pirates on Sunday evening crowned a glorious weekend for SA teams in Africa. It was a rare feat for SA teams to come away with a 100 percent win record even though one of the opposition teams is the continent's top-ranked team.

Pirates handed the Royal eSwatini Police team, Royal Leopards a 6-2 hiding after trailing 2-0 early in proceedings. Before the start of the match, eSwatini protestors tried to prevent Leopards from entering the stadium, in a bid to embarrass eSwatini King Mswati III for his atrocities. Mbombela police intervened, and Leopards made their way into the stadium.

2

Crosstown rivals Kaizer Chiefs burgled a win against relegation-doomed Baroka thanks to a last-minute strike by Khama Billiat, who spared the team's blushes.

After a dominant start, Chiefs failed to capitalise and could have paid the price later. However, it seemed Lady Luck was on their side when Evidence Makgopa's header hit the upright when Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen was out of position. This was Chiefs’ warm-up match for the weekend’s Soweto Derby. As has been the case for some time, there were some promising signs from Chiefs. If these signs come to fruition in the derby, Chiefs should emerge victorious.

3

AmaZulu kicked off the weekend fare with a triumphant display against two-time Champions League title-holders Algerian giants ES Sétif at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

In the first half, Luvuyo Memela scored the game's lone goal. It was enough for coach Benni McCarthy, although not overjoyed, to celebrate on two fronts at the post-match presser.

The victory marked back-to-back Group B wins for his team, which he referred to as Champions League ‘novices’, and it was his eldest daughter’s birthday. The shocking miss in the opening minute by AmaZulu’s Augustine Mulenga raised McCarthy’s concerns about his side’s ability to convert scoring chances.

4

Sundowns achieved the well-nigh impossible in a country that lives and breathes football on Saturday.

Super-sub Thapelo Morena netted an unstoppable goal for a 1-0 win over defending Champions League title-holders Al Ahly in their hostile, chaotic Cairo backyard. At one time. the crowd was so noisy Sundowns could hardly hear what goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene was shouting when setting up a wall.

The loss is a devastating blow to the 10-time champions. They have a mountain to climb to ensure they can defend their crown when play-offs start. In the meantime, coach Pitso Mosimane faces the fallout once Al Ahly backlash comes into play.

5

On the local Premiership front, Swallows overcame stubborn Sekhukhune to move out of the relegation zone after their 1-0 win.

Mwape Musonda's second-half goal allowed Swallows to move four points clear of the relegation zone.

At the other end of the standings, Royal AM slipped into an enviable second place after surprising SuperSport 2-0 in Atteridgeville on Sunday. With the season nearing the end, this will raise hopes in the KZN camp of a Champions League berth next season. Patrick Nyame, the Royal AM shot-stopper, was again in form and is shaping up as the leading contender for the ‘goalkeeper of the season’ award.