Azam stadium in Tanzania hosted the Bumamuru vs Mamelodi Sundowns CAF Champions League second round first leg clash on Friday afternoon.
Mamelodi Sundowns were favourites ahead of kick-off based on their pedigree in the competition, and they lived up to the expectations from fans and pundits who had anticipated a good showing from the Masandawana outfit.
Sundowns' completely swept aside the Burundi Champions to record an emphatic 4-0 away win as goals from Lucas Ribeiro, Lesiba Nku and Peter Shalulile put Bumamuru to the sword.
Masandawana make a statement in the first leg of our #TotalEnergiesCAFCL preliminary qualifier! 👆
Bumamuru FC 0️⃣➖4️⃣ Mamelodi Sundowns (12', 37' Ribeiro, 41' Nku, 80' Shalulile)#Sundowns #DownsLive #TotalEnergiesCAFCL pic.twitter.com/ZnmDx4c13K
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) September 15, 2023
Let's delve into the game's summary!
Mamelodi Sundowns already home and dry before the break
Mamelodi Sundowns' fans will be glad to see their veteran goal scorer Shalulile on the bench as he continues his recovery to full fitness having been injured for some time.
Right from the blast of the whistle, Masandawana took control of possession and looked to break the Bumamuru defense down!
As Rhulani's side continued their dominance, a penalty was awarded to them for a handball in the box! Lucas Ribeiro Costa dispatched the spot kick to give Sundowns an early lead in the 12th minute.
The home side tried to muster a little bit of a fight, however, the superiority of the visitors showed as Lucas Ribeiro grabbed his second of the afternoon in the 37th minute.
And with four minutes left to the end of the half, Lesiba Nku scored the third goal for Masandawana to all but end the contest before the break.
Mamelodi Sundowns reigned supreme
The second half began in like fashion as the first half in terms of dominance by the former CAF Champions League winners.
However, neither side showed much intent as the visitors were content in holding the ball as the minutes went.
In the 70th minute, Rhulani made a quadruple change that saw Rivaldo Coetzee, Bathusi Aubaas, Lucas Ribeiro and Teboho Mokoena made way for Lebohang Maboe, Khuliso Mudau, Peter Shalulile and Bongani Zungu.
Those changes added a bit of taste into the game as just ten minutes into the action, legendary Sundowns' goal scorer Peter Shalulile scored the fourth goal to add more misery on Bumamuru.
The match had no other goal as Masandawana saw out the rest of the match to record yet another clean sheet for Ronwen Williams.
The win meant that Mamelodi Sundowns got their CAF Champions League campaign underway in such dominant fashion over Burundi’s Bumamuru FC.
The Brazilians had been given a free pass in the opening qualification round while Bumamuru routed Gabonese team Sportif Benje with a 6-2 on aggregate but were unable to match the South Africans in today's game.
The second leg of this tie will take place in a fortnight with Mamelodi Sundowns in the driving seat and a clear sight in the CAF Champions League group stage.
Mamelodi Sundowns confirmed lineups
Take a look at how Rhulani Mokwena’s side had opted to lineup for today’s clash below:
Williams, Kekana, Lebusa, Mashego, Coetzee, Mokoena, Aubaas, Mendieta, Zwane, Nku, Ribeiro.
Substitutes
Pieterse, B. Onyango, Mudau, Modiba, Zungu, Mkhulise, Mbule, Maboe, Shalulile.
This article was most recently revised and updated 12 months ago
