Aubrey Modiba wonder strike hands Mamelodi Sundowns lead in CAF Champions League final

Mamelodi Sundowns secured a slim lead after the initial match of the CAF Champions League final with a 1 0 victory at home against Moroccos AS FAR in Pretoria on Sunday.

They travel to Rabat for the return fixture next Sunday looking to defend their position and notably without having let in an away goal against AS FAR.

This means that should they find the net once in Morocco their opponents would require three goals to overturn the deficit and given the nature of the first match that appears improbable.

Sundowns goal

After a quiet start for the first 37 minutes Sundowns went ahead as Bafana Bafana defender Aubrey Modiba launched a stunning free kick from 25 yards out. He chose power instead of precision and it overwhelmed AS FAR goalkeeper Ahmed Tagnaouti. The ball smashed into the roof of the net leaving the keeper with only a touch on it.

This marked Modibas opening goal for nearly three years a period in which he picked up two red cards and netted an own goal. One of those sendings off occurred in last seasons group stage encounter versus AS FAR making this moment especially rewarding for him.

Second half delay

Play in the second half was held up for approximately 30 minutes due to a Video Assistant Referee malfunction.

AS FAR first declined to proceed until the issue was resolved but as time passed they agreed to restart the game.

According to CAF regulations VAR is not mandatory for matches to go ahead so refusal to continue might have led to a 3 0 forfeit in Sundowns favour. Nevertheless it reflected poorly on the event organisers.

Woodwork

Sundowns came close to a second goal that would have been a major step towards lifting the trophy.

After Jayden Adams was fouled 30 yards from goal Teboho Mokoena struck a powerful free kick.

The goalkeeper was beaten but the ball struck the post an unfortunate moment for the home side that they will hope not to regret in the tie.

Rare event

The last team to come back and win the trophy after losing the first leg was Esperance de Tunis against Al Ahly in 2018.

Ahly won the first leg 3 1 in Alexandria but the Tunisian side rallied to claim a 3 0 victory in the second leg and take the tie 4 3 on aggregate.

Before that TP Mazembe won on away goals after losing the first leg to Heartland FC in 2009.

Third time lucky?

Will it be third time lucky for Miguel Cardoso? He lost the 2024 final with Esperance de Tunis and the 2025 decider with Mamelodi Sundowns.

On both occasions the home first leg for Cardoso ended in a draw and he could not engineer victory away from home.

This time he has something to hold onto which is a new experience for the Portuguese coach.