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 began 30 minutes later than scheduled, with the 17:00 kick-off moved to 17:30 because of lightning near the stadium.
Wiliete, from the coastal city of Benguela, have established themselves as an ambitious force since replacing Benfica do Lubango in Angola’s top-flight Girabola in 2019. Benguela has a population of 550,000, making it Angola’s eighth-largest city and the capital of Benguela province.
They finished second in the 2024-25 campaign to qualify for the Champions League, repeated that position last season and currently lead the Girabola table unbeaten early in the new campaign.
After overcoming Seychelles’ Foresters 5-0 on aggregate in the first preliminary round, Wiliete took the game to the South African champions. Their home ground did not meet Confederation of African Football standards, forcing the match to be played 355km from Benguela in Lubango.
Mamelodi Sundowns had to deal with Wiliete’s physical approach and energetic running. The visitors circulated possession in their usual style as they looked for openings, but found goalkeeper Elber Binha difficult to beat whenever they created chances.
Tashreeq Matthews and Teboho Mokoena both tested Binha during the first half. However, Sundowns suffered another setback when Mokoena, who had returned two matches earlier after an injury sustained while on international duty with Bafana Bafana, was forced off in the 40th minute. Bathusi Aubaas replaced him two minutes later.
Wiliete continued to attack after the interval, using their wingers to stretch the Pretoria side and committing players forward. A run through the centre by Thapelo Morena created an opportunity for Matthews, who was set up on the left in the 66th minute, but his effort was saved by Binha.
Wiliete also threatened at the other end. Centre-forward Mabululu met a bouncing ball into the area with a header that sent Ricardo Goss down to his left to make a save.
The hosts’ dangerous winger Gilberto then burst beyond Ndamane and entered the area, but Goss came off his line to block at the player’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 in the closing stages.
Sundowns will now return to Pretoria confident that their squad has enough attacking quality and strength to overcome Wiliete in Friday’s second leg at Loftus Versfeld, which starts at 20:00. Victory would secure their place in the group stage.
The South African champions remain without several experienced players. Goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams and left-back Aubrey Modiba are among the shorter-term absentees, while right-back Khuliso Mudau and centre-backs Grant Kekana and Keanu Cupido face longer spells out.
In the CAF Confederation Cup, Durban City strengthened their hopes of reaching the group stage with a 3-1 victory over Port Louis of Mauritius at Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday.
