Supersport United rallied to level 1-1 against Club Africain in the CAF Confederations Cup semi-final first leg at Lucas “Master” Moripe Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa Sunday.
In Kamalondo, Lubumbashi, DR Congo, defending CAF Confederations Cup champions TP Mazembe edged visiting FUS Rabat of Morocco 1-0 in the other semis tie at Stade Mazembe.
United went behind in the 21st despite bossing the early exchanges of the game – conceding a handball in the box which Saber Khelifa coolly slotted in.
Earlier, the tournament’s top scorer Jeremy Brockie missed a golden opportunity for the hosts with the net begging – tapping into the sky from inside the box.
The visitors from Tunisia took the slim 1-0 lead into the breather. In the second half, they did every trick to slow the pace of the game and take a few seconds off the clock.
Even a nudge resulted in a player dropping on the floor. Supersport kept pushing and with five minutes left they won a penalty from a similar situation as the first.
Thabo Mnyamane stepped on the plate to bury it on the bounce after Club Africain goalkeeper spilt the first shot.
The last six added minutes were quite tense for CA who were firmly put on the back foot by marauding SS strikers.
They, however, they managed to hold on to the draw which gives them a better fighting chance at home.
In Kamalondo, Ben Malango’s 14th minute goal separated the two sides ahead of the return leg in Morocco.
The win is a continuation of Mazembe’s dominance over FUS whom they have now beaten three times in four outings.
The competition will give way for the Russia World Cup qualifiers before the second leg fixtures take center stage on 20th October.
