SuperSport United hosted reigning CAF Confederations Cup winners TP Mazembe at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday night, writes MARSHALL GOUTS.
Matsatsantsa made one change from the side that drew 2-2 against the same opposition two weeks ago in Congo, with Thuso Phala coming in to replace Dean Furman.
SuperSport occupy top spot in Group D, but only due to a superior goal difference. Victory against the Congolese giants on home soil could go a long way in deciding which teams progress to the quarter-final stage of the competition as winners or runners-up, with the latter most likely to get a less favourable draw in the next phase of the tournament.
The home side started the brighter of the two sides, with Phala forcing goalkeeper Vumi Matampi to make a good save with barely a minute on the clock.
Phala and Reneilwe Letsholonyane almost combined to good effect in the 16th minute, but the Mazembe defence proved alert. The subsequent corner saw Matampi again pull off a fine save from a grasping effort by Phala, who proved a nuisance to the Mazembe defence.
Ronwen Williams was called into action for the first time in the game in the 26th minute when his well-timed save denied Mazembe the opener after a well-worked move outside the Matsatsantsa area.
Both sides probed in search of the opener but it was not to be, after 45 minutes played as the two sides went into the half-time break deadlocked at 0-0.
SuperSport were forced into the first change of the game when Jeremy Brockie replaced the injured Onismor Bhasera, who sustained a knock late in the first stanza.
Matsatsantsa signaled their attacking intent and came close to opening the scoring in the 50th minute when Aubrey Modiba’s cross into the area was met by Mnyamane, but the winger slotted his chance wide of the target.
Rainford Kalaba came to life for a brief moment, but his long-range effort went inches wide. SuperSport appeared to be inching ever closer to the opening goal, but a poor decision-making in the final third proved to be their downfall.
Stuart Baxter made his second substitution of the game as he introduced Kingston Nkhatha for Bradley Grobler, with twenty minutes left to be played.
The home side threw numbers forward in the final exchanges in a bid to open the scoring, but it was not to be, as the game ended 0-0.
Photo: Samuel Shivambu/Backpagepix
– This story will originally appeared on SoccerClub.co.za
