Cape Town — Mamelodi Sundowns have done it yet again, both away and on home soil.
Sundowns scored glorious back-to-back wins over 10-time Champions League winners Al Ahly after a slender 1-0 triumph in their Group A match at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline does not accurately reflect Sundowns' over superiority in the match, but the latest log positions will. Sundowns with 10 points, after four matches, are six points clear of the remaining three teams, all of whom have all also played four games.
After this setback, Al Ahly's Red Devils are seriously in danger of failing to make the play-offs and should that materialise, they will not defend their continental crown.
Both teams were cagey at the start and intent on holding their shape. Sundowns tested the waters with a few adventurous touches, which allowed them to grow in confidence early in the game.
The visiting Egyptians were content to sit back and allow Sundowns to come at them with some crisp inter-passing movements. Lyle Lakay, Peter Shalulile and Themba Zwane all held their own as Sundowns worked their way upfield over an early 10-minute spell without threatening the visitors' defence.
However, the trio showed loads of promise, and Al Ahly battled to contain their exuberance on attacking sorties. There was enough evidence to suggest that Sundowns could be on the verge of a breakthrough, although, against the run of play, the first real scoring chance fell to Al Ahly after 20 minutes.
The game's tempo picked up somewhat around the 20th minute when Al Ahly's high press resulted in the first corner, conceded by right-back Khuliso Mudau.
Moments later, Percy Tau and Mohamed Magdy worked an Al Ahly attack down the centre, and the former tried to finish with a low left-footed drive. It was saved by Sundowns keeper Kennedy Mweene, one of the heroes in his side's recent Cairo conquest.
Sundowns sparked a strong counter-attack moments later, and the pressure forced the opposition into mistakes. Instead of thwarting the opposition as they made inroads in their half, Al Ahly were reduced to chasing shadows, at times.
Some deft touches later gave unmarked Sundowns midfielder Mothobi Mvala a chance to strike from range, and the shot took a deflected off central defender Yasser Ibrahim for a corner.
The 23rd-minute set-piece by dead-ball specialist Lakay provided Sundowns with the platform for a deserving goal. His corner floated into the striking zone, and with Al Ahly's defence reduced to ball watching, Namibian
Peter Shalulile struck the ball into the back of the net.
Al Ahly tried to up the ante towards the end of the first half, and Al Ahly Tunisian defender Ali Maâloul had a chance to equalise after he overlapped superbly down the right flank to latch on to a goalmouth cross. He ballooned his parting shot.
Pitso Mosimane, Al Ahly served notice that his team was in trouble and uncharacteristically turned to his bench before halftime to bring on substitute Taher Mohamed at the expense of Karim Fouad.
With Sundowns keeping their slender 1-0 lead intact as the game approached the hour mark, Mosimane again turned to his reserves. This time a double substitution saw Mohamed Abdelmonem and Percy Tau making way for Ayman Ashraf and Ahmed Abdelkader.
By this time, the vocal support from the 2000 Sundowns supporters who were allowed to watch the match, seemed to lift the team's spirits, and they particularly enjoyed the departure of Tau.
As the match wound towards its close, both teams fashioned scoring chances but with the defence having the better of attack, the second half seemed destined to end goalless.
And that's the way it ended.