CAF Champions League: Mamelodi Sundowns Crush Remo Stars 5–1 in Abeokuta First Leg
Written by Alonge Akinlolu on 20 — 10
South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns delivered a dominant performance to defeat Nigeria’s Remo Stars FC 5–1 in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second round clash at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta on Sunday.
The Brazilians showed their experience and attacking flair from kickoff, controlling possession and putting the Nigerian side under constant pressure throughout the encounter.
Tashreeq Matthews opened the scoring for Sundowns in the 11th minute after capitalizing on a defensive lapse by the home team. Peter Shalulile doubled the advantage in the 41st minute to give the visitors a comfortable 2–0 lead heading into halftime.
Remo Stars attempted a response early in the second half but struggled to contain the fluid movement of the South African champions. Miguel Reisinho made it 3–0 in the 60th minute before Arthur De Oliveira extended the lead in the 74th. Katlego Ntsabeleng added the fifth goal in the 84th minute to seal an emphatic win for Mamelodi Sundowns.
The only bright moment for Remo Stars came in the 76th minute when substitute Samson Olasupo scored a stunning consolation goal from outside the box, much to the delight of the home fans.
With a 5–1 aggregate advantage, Mamelodi Sundowns are now firm favourites to progress to the group stage ahead of the return leg in Pretoria on October 26.
Remo Stars, representing Nigeria in the CAF Champions League for the first time, will need a miraculous performance in South Africa to overturn the heavy deficit.
