Alexandria‚ Egypt - Borg El Arab Stadium had emptied – apart from their 150 travelling fans‚ and a handful of stragglers – by the time Mamelodi Sundowns lifted the Caf Champions League trophy on Sunday night.
Most of the 70 000 crowd that had packed the stadium streamed out at the final whistle after having made a stomach-churning level of hostile noise that made for an uncomfortable 90 minutes for Sundowns‚ who held their nerve for a 1-0 defeat against Zamalek in the second leg and 3-1 aggregate victory.
As can be a reality of the home and away format‚ Downs then lifted the trophy to the sounds of their own whoops of joy and cheers of the 150 supporters.
The crowd had been frustrated by Sundowns’ streetwise time-wasting tactics – which frustrated Zamalek on the field and broke their rhythm on the field‚ making it almost impossible for the White Knights to mount a challenge for the 4-0 win they needed after conceding a 3-0 defeat in the first leg in Atteridgeville.
It’s hard to imagine‚ with the roles reversed‚ and Zamalek with a 3-0 lead to protect in an away second leg‚ that the Egyptians would have played any differently.
Some in the crowd were angry at referee Bakary Camara‚ claiming Sundowns had bought the Gambian’s decisions.
But overall Camara handled the game excellently and if Zamalek fans could have a complaint‚ it could only be that the referee did not give the home decisions they might have expected in the hostile atmosphere‚ where the crowd were loudly on his back.
However, with a small minority of Zamalek’s fans having thrown bottles of water at Downs’ players in a pre-match walkabout, and having used lasers to distract the Brazilians, any claims of unsportsmanlike behaviour from the SA club were laughable.
To most of the Zamalek supporters’ credit‚ though‚ they did applaud Sundowns at the end‚ seemingly an acknowledgement that the Pretoria club had been the better side over the 180 minutes.
Since the game many fans of Zamalek’s bitter Cairo rivals‚ Al Ahly‚ have approached Sundowns’ travelling fans in Alexandria to enthusiastically congratulate them and celebrate the demise of the White Knights. - TMG Digital
Sour grapes from Zamalek supporters‚ but Al Ahly fans celebrate with Sundowns
Alexandria‚ Egypt - Borg El Arab Stadium had emptied – apart from their 150 travelling fans‚ and a handful of stragglers – by the time Mamelodi Sundowns lifted the Caf Champions League trophy on Sunday night.
Most of the 70 000 crowd that had packed the stadium streamed out at the final whistle after having made a stomach-churning level of hostile noise that made for an uncomfortable 90 minutes for Sundowns‚ who held their nerve for a 1-0 defeat against Zamalek in the second leg and 3-1 aggregate victory.
As can be a reality of the home and away format‚ Downs then lifted the trophy to the sounds of their own whoops of joy and cheers of the 150 supporters.
The crowd had been frustrated by Sundowns’ streetwise time-wasting tactics – which frustrated Zamalek on the field and broke their rhythm on the field‚ making it almost impossible for the White Knights to mount a challenge for the 4-0 win they needed after conceding a 3-0 defeat in the first leg in Atteridgeville.
It’s hard to imagine‚ with the roles reversed‚ and Zamalek with a 3-0 lead to protect in an away second leg‚ that the Egyptians would have played any differently.
Some in the crowd were angry at referee Bakary Camara‚ claiming Sundowns had bought the Gambian’s decisions.
But overall Camara handled the game excellently and if Zamalek fans could have a complaint‚ it could only be that the referee did not give the home decisions they might have expected in the hostile atmosphere‚ where the crowd were loudly on his back.
However, with a small minority of Zamalek’s fans having thrown bottles of water at Downs’ players in a pre-match walkabout, and having used lasers to distract the Brazilians, any claims of unsportsmanlike behaviour from the SA club were laughable.
To most of the Zamalek supporters’ credit‚ though‚ they did applaud Sundowns at the end‚ seemingly an acknowledgement that the Pretoria club had been the better side over the 180 minutes.
Since the game many fans of Zamalek’s bitter Cairo rivals‚ Al Ahly‚ have approached Sundowns’ travelling fans in Alexandria to enthusiastically congratulate them and celebrate the demise of the White Knights. - TMG Digital
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