Onyango earns shot at Caf title
Onyango calls out to his defenders during Uganda Cranes duty. Photo by Eddie Chicco
What you need to know:
- Onyango’s Mamelodi Sundowns will face Egyptian giants Zamalek next month in the final of the Caf Champions League with the South Africans hoping to become first-time winners.
- Reinstated Sundowns rode their luck to top a group including Zamalek and Enyimba of Nigeria. This gives Onyango an opportunity to achieve what Cranes striker Yunus Ssentamu failed to do in 2014.
KAMPALA. A meagre 180 minutes separate Uganda Cranes goalkeeper Dennis Onyango from becoming the first Ugandan to win the biggest prize in African club football.
Onyango’s Mamelodi Sundowns will face Egyptian giants Zamalek next month in the final of the Caf Champions League with the South Africans hoping to become first-time winners. Sundowns beat Zesco United 2-0 on Saturday in the second leg of their semi-final in Pretoria to advance 3-2 on aggregate.
Sundowns had to overturn a first leg deficit against the Zambians, having lost 2-1 in Ndola.
The 2001 Champions League losing finalists, to record African champions AL Ahly (Egypt), opened the scoring after just five minutes through Liberian winger Anthony Laffor.
Zesco had chances to equalise, notably when two-goal first-leg star Jackson Mwanza broke through the middle only to see a lob over Onyango land on the roof of the net.
Percy Tau headed in on 64 minutes to make it 2-0. The victory completes a big turnaround for Onyango and Sundowns having faced elimination five months ago - only to be reinstated. Upon their reinstatement, Onyango served a two-match suspension, sitting out the 2-1 and 1-0 group stage victories over five-time African champions Zamalek.
Sundowns made the most of their second chance after they were knocked out in the final qualifying round for the group stage by AS Vita Club of the DR Congo in April.
But just hours before the group draw was made in Cairo, the Kinshasa outfit were kicked out of the competition for fielding a suspended player.
Reinstated Sundowns rode their luck to top a group including Zamalek and Enyimba of Nigeria. This gives Onyango an opportunity to achieve what Cranes striker Yunus Ssentamu failed to do in 2014.
Ssentamu played in both legs as AS Vita lost to Algeria’s ES Setif on away goals’ rules after the final finished 3-all on aggregate, the 2-2 draw in Congo proving decisive.
Similarly, Onyango’s former side, SC Villa, lost the 1991 final, beaten 7-3 over two legs by Club Africain (Tunisia) while Simba SC lost to Guinea’s Haifa in 1972.
