After Mamelodi Sundowns won the inaugural African Football League (AFL) two weeks ago, the feeling lingering in the air for coach Rulani Mokwena and his squad was, win the Caf Champions League and achieve immortality.
The one player who would share that feeling is Namibian goal machine Peter Shalulile.
Due to the hamstring injury he suffered in September, Shalulile made his first and only AFL appearance in the second leg of the final, when he scored Sundowns’ first goal before Aubrey Modiba sealed it with another for the Brazilians.
Both Shalulile and Modiba are among those Sundowns players who do not have a Champions League gold medal as they arrived at Chloorkop post-2016, a year in which Mokwena was the assistant coach when they first conquered Africa.
AFL success without Shalulile
The AFL worked in Sundowns’ favour in many ways, but being able to go all the way against Africa’s best without Shalulile was probably the biggest achievement for them.
No doubt when Mokwena names his match-day squad every week, Shalulile’s name is among those at the top of the list because of his sharpness in front of goals, season in, season out.
Shalulile’s ability in the six-yard box is highlighted by the fact that not only is he the reigning Premier Soccer League Golden Boot holder, which he shares with Cape Town City’s Khanyisa Mayo, but he has won the award three times in a row.
So for Mokwena and his boys to do it on the biggest of all stages of continental football without Shalulile, will obviously inspire loads of confidence.
On the other hand, for him to score on his return, it means his place is still that much reserved.
Before Shalulile was injured, he was at his usual lethal best, with two goals and the same number of assists in the league, two goals in three MTN8 games, and one in a Champions League outing.
Combination with Rebeiro
What should also scare defenders the continent over is the combination he has established with Brazilian Lucas Rebeiro.
Coincidently, they both returned from injury for the AFL final second leg.
So Sundowns can do it without Shalulile, but they are more dangerous with him.
One can almost feel pity for Mauritanian side Nouadhibou, since without a doubt Mokwena will be eager to again unleash and give more game time to Shalulile and Rebeiro in their Champions League Group A encounter at Loftus Versfeld at 3pm on Sunday.
Also in their group are Pyramids from Egypt and TP Mazembe of Democratic Republic of Congo.
For Sundowns, the mission at hand is not only to advance past the quarter-final stages they have exited at in the past three seasons, but to go all the way and have a season of immortality that no other African side have ever had.
IOL Sport