adminJOHANNESBURG. — Five-time African champions TP Mazembe must be growing sick of Zimbabwean football coaches after they stumbled to another home draw in their backyard in a CAF Confederation Cup group game at the weekend.The Congolese giants were held to a 2-2 draw by SuperSport United of South Africa, with the visitors coming back from two goals down to force the stalemate, which torched crowd trouble outside the Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi.
SuperSport United were under the guidance of Zimbabwean coach Kaitano Tembo who is taking charge of the club’s affairs in the absence of his boss Stuart Baxter who was given the green light to remain in South Africa to prepare for Bafana Bafana’s 2019 AFCON qualifier against Nigeria this weekend.
Baxter will cut all links with SuperSport United, and take his role as Bafana Bafana coach full-time, after the Nedbank Cup final later this month. Tembo, who is turning out to be one of the finest coaches to come out of Zimbabwe, had hailed TP Mazembe ahead of their showdown.
“I am impressed by the winners of this club. The TP Mazembe, this it is that I call a true team of football on the continent,’’ he said. “They usually win, they have titles and it is always difficult to confront the holder of the trophy.’’
A few months ago, another Zimbabwean coach Lloyd Chitembwe inspired his CAPS United side to a 1-1 draw against Mazembe at the same stadium in a CAF Champions League match.
CAPS United later eliminated Mazembe from the tournament after holding them to a goalless draw in Harare. On Saturday, Mazembe had the early chances as Rainford Kalaba twice missed the target, as did Miche Mika.
Having survived a couple of anxious moments, SuperSport were just starting to settle when they found themselves a goal down after 20 minutes when Tresor Mputu’s superb through-ball picked out Ben Malango, who finished clinically from close range. The lead was doubled just five minutes later when Kalaba latched onto a ball over the top before squeezing an angled shot in at the far post.
United seemed shell-shocked in front of the capacity crowd in Lubumbashi, yet they were able to pull a goal back just a minute later when Aubrey Modiba finished clinically with a left-footed shot in the box after a great assist by Teboho Mokoena. Mputu was unlucky not to restore the defending champions’ two goal lead a couple of moments later when he curled a free kick against the crossbar.
After Reneilwe Letsholonyane had wasted a good chance for SuperSport by thumping a shot into the stands, Solomon Asante saw his shot arrowing just wide of the target as the home side went into the break on top.
The DRC outfit started the second half full of purpose and could have extended their lead had Malango and Mputu not both missed headers from excellent positions, while at the other end of the park, Bradley Grobler also went close with a headed effort on 52 minutes.
Against the run of play, the Pretoria team snatched a 66th minute equaliser when Mokoena powerfully headed in a deep cross at the back post. The pressure was to increase on both sides as Mazembe tried to appease their anxious home fans with a winner while the visitors had to throw bodies on the line in defence. Adama Traoure squandered a wonderful opportunity for the hosts when he lifted a close-range curler over the bar two minutes from time.
SuperSport remained camped in their own box in the final five minutes of the game, but were able to hold on for the point thanks to some committed and focussed defending.
The result means SuperSport, TP Mazembe and Guinea club Horoya are locked at the top of Group D with five points each after three rounds played. Mazembe beat Pirates 1-0 in Lubumbashi during the 2013 Champions League qualifying phase, but the DRC giants were knocked out on aggregate.
In 2015, Mazembe hammered Sundowns 3-1 in the same competition, winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate to progress to the final round of qualifying. — Sports Reporter/Laduma/Agencies
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