Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, on Friday ,February 17,2023 dominated Coton Sport of Garoua at the Roumdé Adjia Omnisport Stadium.
The reigning South African Premiership champions were missing, 12 players on the day, as they beat Coton Sport 3-1 on the road.
Sundowns were without regulars Themba Zwane, Peter Shalulile, Rushine De Reuck and Gaston Sirino as they played their second Group B encounter.
The quarter and eight others missed the game due to injuries. But that didn’t stop the South Africans from turning on a five-star performance on the road.
It took Rulani Mokwena’s charges just 10 minutes to make their intentions clear in front of the home crowd.
Their opening goal came through the boot of in-form young striker Cassius Mailula, who struck twice on the night.
Both his goals came in the first half, increasing his tally for the season to 12.
The 21-year-old forward opened the scoresheet in the 10th minute after intercepting a back pass.
A minute later, Mailula turned provider for Sundowns’ second goal that came through a sleek Thapelo Morena backheel.
The goal came after a well-worked move initiated by Khuliso Mudau after a mazy run.
After the second goal, Sundowns enjoyed a lot of possession, dominating their opponents in their backyard. The scales were lopsided, holding 72% of possession midway through the first half.
Sundowns in Cameroon
Mailula and Morena scored for Sundowns
Each time they surged forward, the Pretoria side looked dangerous.
However, they were punished on the counter at the half-hour mark when Coton Sport’s Patient Wassou found himself with only Ronwen Williams to beat.
He put the ball beyond the reach of Williams. At the stroke of half-time, Mailula was back again to add the third for the Brazilians.
Aubrey Modiba had sent through a through pass, which he coolly slotted to give the visitors a healthy lead.
In the second half, the Tshwane giants managed the game very well, keeping their opponents at bay.
Mokwena brought in Bongani Zungu and Gift Motupa for Marcelo Allende and Mailula as he sought to shore up things.
The win means they have won their opening two games of the group stages. They sit at the top of Group B with six points.
Sundowns beat Sudan’s Al Hilal 1-0 in Pretoria. They face Al Ahly of Egypt in their next Champions League outing.
By Brian Mboh