Sundowns held to goalless draw by Wiliete in Champions League tie

Mamelodi Sundowns were held to a 0-0 draw by an energetic Wiliete SC in the first leg of their Caf Champions League second preliminary round tie in Angola.

The match at Estadio Nacional Tundavala in Lubango was delayed by 30 minutes, with kick-off moved from 5pm to 5.30pm because of lightning near the stadium.

Sundowns created opportunities but could not beat Wiliete goalkeeper Elber Binha, leaving the South African champions needing a win at Loftus Versfeld on Friday (8pm) to reach the group stage.

Wiliete, from the coastal city of Benguela, had been forced to play in Lubango, 355km away, because their home ground did not meet Confederation of African Football standards. The club’s home city has a population of 550,000 and is Angola’s eighth-biggest city and the capital of Benguela province.

The ambitious Angolan side have grown since replacing Benfica do Lubango in the top-flight Girabola in 2019. They finished second in 2024-25 to qualify for the Champions League, were runners-up again last season and began this campaign top of the Girabola table while unbeaten.

Having eliminated Seychelles side Foresters 5-0 on aggregate in the first preliminary round, Wiliete started positively and tried to pressure Mamelodi Sundowns with a physical approach.

Sundowns circulated the ball in their usual style as they looked for openings, but found Binha difficult to overcome. Tashreeq Matthews and Teboho Mokoena both tested the goalkeeper in the first half.

The South Africans were dealt a setback in the 40th minute when Mokoena went off injured. The midfielder had only returned to club action two matches earlier after suffering an injury while on international duty with Bafana Bafana. Bathusi Aubaas replaced him two minutes later.

Wiliete resumed after the interval with determined running, using their wingers to try to stretch Sundowns.

Thapelo Morena made a strong run through the middle in the 66th minute before setting up Matthews on the left, but his effort was saved by Binha.

Wiliete also threatened. Centre-forward Mabululu met a bouncing ball into the area with a header that forced Ricardo Goss to dive to his left, while the dangerous Gilberto burst beyond Ndamane and made Goss come off his line to block at the winger’s feet.

Wiliete’s Brazilian coach Beto Bianchi responded by making three substitutions, including the introduction of forwards Merdi Kafuti and Ning.

Both sides appeared content to settle for a draw late on, with Sundowns now relying on home advantage in Friday’s return fixture.

Sundowns have also been affected by injuries to several experienced players. Goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams and left-back Aubrey Modiba are short-term absentees, while right-back Khuliso Mudau and centre-backs Grant Kekana and Keanu Cupido have longer-term injuries.

In the Caf Confederation Cup, Durban City strengthened their prospects of reaching the group stage with a 3-1 victory over Port Louis of Mauritius at Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday.