Can the Yellow Nation sink the Yellow Submarine?

IOL News

5 hours ago

Tashreeq Matthews (centre, No 17) could provide Mamelodi Sundowns with inside information on his former club Borussia Dortmund. Photo: PHANDO JIKELO
Image: PHANDO JIKELO
THIS is it. This is the match that was always going to define Mamelodi Sundowns' Fifa Club World Cup.
The clash against one of Europe's top clubs – Borussia Dortmund – stood out as the biggest test for the South African champions from the moment the draw for the global club championship was made.
The general notion was that the Bundesliga club have to be the favourites to top Group F, while Sundowns would, at best, be third behind Fluminense, with Ulsan HD pencilled in as the potential worst team.
Football is, however, very fickle at the top, and ahead of this evening's clash (6pm SA time kick-off) between the Yellow Nation of Tshwane and the Yellow Submarine of Germany, the standings are nothing like what the punters had forecasted.
Sundowns are top of the group with maximum points following their 1-0 defeat of the South Korean team they should actually have smashed by much more.
Iqraam Rayners scored the winner on a night when Lucas Ribeiro Costa was in scintillating form delivering some sublime passes to find the Capetonian striker, who actually put the ball into the opposition net on three occasions.
It was a real pity that on two of those, he'd handled the ball before scoring and then strayed offside prior to receiving the ball from his Brazilian teammate.
It was the kind of performance, though, that would have imbued Sundowns with confidence as they go into the clash with a Dortmund likely to not be as cock-a-hoop as they'd have been at the start of the tournament.
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Held goalless by Fluminense in their opener, the Germans are going to be hard-pressed to win tonight if they are to be sure of progressing to the knockout phase... and often that can be a recipe for panic.
Granted, it is generally accepted that a clash between a European and an African side should go the way of the former. And after Manchester City beat Wydad Casablanca this week, that notion would have been strengthened.
But there's nothing to say Sundowns cannot pull the rug from underneath the feet of their revered opponents, not when Ronwen Williams and his teammates are so hyped up following that win over Ulsan.
It is a massive test for the multiple South African champions, who will know that the rest of the world has their eyes on them after they were the only one of the four African teams to win their opening match.
And with Al Ahly losing their second match, Sundowns essentially carry the baton for Africa – the continent is banking on them to progress out of the round robin phase.
Surely that must be motivation enough for them to give their best against Dortmund.
Besides, there is also the opportunity for them to market themselves to the world, this match likely to attract a much bigger audience – not only in the stadium – but on television, simply because of the stature of their opponents.
Whereas prior to the start of the competition they were probably seen as just another African team by their opponents, Sundowns are now surely a serious opposition to Dortmund, and this much, the German club's coach has confirmed.
'As I said at the beginning of the press conference, I think my team and Fluminense are favourites. But in football, you must first play the games and show that you are favourites,' said Niko Kovac.
'We have some impressions and we know that Sundowns played in the (CAF) Champions League final a few weeks ago.
'So, they are a tough opponent as you saw in the other games. You must work very hard against African teams.
'They are strong and powerful. So, for that, we need to refresh our minds, and to be fully prepared because the next games are very important for us.'
The good thing for Sundowns is that they have, in Tashreeq Matthews, a player with a little bit of knowledge of their opponents – the young attacker having previously turned out for the Germans.
He was not particularly effective against Ulsan, though, and it remains to be seen how coach Miguel Cardoso uses him for this one.
It is a big match, not only for Sundowns, but for African football, as it presents the continent with an opportunity to show just how we rank against the Europeans, who are generally accepted to be at the top of the game in the world.
Wouldn't it be grand if the Yellow Nation were to be victorious over the Yellow Submarine?