Mamelodi Sundowns hit Petro Atletico de Luanda 2-0 in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the African Football League (AFL) played in Angola.
Before this match, Sundowns were seriously dreading clash against Petro Atletico who had edged them out of the quarter-finals of the 2021-2022 Champions League.
However, at the end of the day, they finally left Luanda relieved after a hard fought 2-0 win over the Angolans, thanks to goals from Allende (68 minutes) and Maseko (81minutes)
Despite dominating in the first half, Sundowns created very few chances with the most notable being a shot from Junior Mendieta that was deflected for a corner in the 20th minute.
Petro, on the other hand, exploited their rare opportunities to the fullest. Three decisive saves by Sundowns including a penalty taken by Gilbero in the 42nd minute. The penalty kick was conceded by Mothobi Mvala who was judged guilty of a poor intervention in the penalty area.
After the break, the “Brazilians” maintained their dominance but this time, with more sharpness. Goalkeeper Hugo Marquez had to do his best to keep out a powerful shot from Mothobi Mvala for a corner in the 54th minute.
After a long resistance, Alexandre Santos’ men finally cracked in the 68th minute. Chile’s Marcelo Allende found himself at the end of an excellent combination with Argentina’s Junior Mendieta allowed him to tap home the opener.
Trailing at home, Petro Atletico fought hard to reduce the margin but were each time denied. With nine minutes to go Maseko made it 2-0 and ensured that Sundowns will have an easy time in the return match.
