Colombian striker Brayan Leon could be the trump card for Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday, 17 May against Moroccan visitors FAR Rabat in the CAF Champions League final first leg.
The 25-year-old has been in sparkling form since joining the Pretoria outfit in January, scoring 11 goals in the Betway Premiership and five in the CAF Champions League.
His African tally included the solitary goals in both legs of the semi-final triumph over four-time champions Esperance of Tunisia.
‘Fighter’
“Brayan is a fighter. He reminds me of (former Sweden star Zlatan) Ibrahimovic the way he battles for every ball,” said team-mate Jayden Adams in a pre-final press conference.
“He presses constantly. Brayan can turn a bad pass into a good one. He adds quality to our team and is an incredible footballer.”
Leon will line up against FAR having scored a hat-trick and a brace in his last two league matches. He had another goal wrongly disallowed.
Apart from wanting to help Masandawana win the elite African club competition a second time, the South American will also be eyeing the Golden Boot award for leading scorer.
His five goals place him joint second, one goal behind Cameroonian Taddeus Nkeng from Malian club Stade Malien and Mahmoud Trezeguet from record 12-time CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly of Egypt.
Stade fell to Mamelodi Sundowns and pre-competition favourites Ahly to Esperance in the quarter-finals of a competition first staged in 1964.
Wide range of scorers
While Mamelodi Sundowns rely heavily on Leon for goals, 1985 African champions FAR boast a wide range of potential scorers with five netting two each, including midfielder and captain Mohamed Hrimat.
No FAR player has scored more than once in 14 African matches this season except for winger Youssef El Fahli, who struck twice in a preliminary-round win over Real Banjul in the Gambia.
Mamelodi Sundowns were surprise losers to Egyptian side Pyramids in the final last season and Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso is concerned that his team are once again being labelled favourites.
‘Completely wrong’
“FAR are on the same level as Mamelodi Sundowns. They have developed a very strong team. We respect them,” he told reporters.
“Those who believe the final will be easy for us, and not as difficult as the semi-final against Esperance, are completely wrong.”
Cardoso is desperate to succeed after reaching the last two Champions League finals and losing both. Before joining Mamelodi Sundowns, he led Esperance to a 2024 final defeat by Ahly.
Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has spoken of the pain after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Pyramids.
“We suffered so much after failing in the final. But as the pain gradually faded, we found renewed energy and belief. Hopefully, we will be crowned African champions this time.”
Low profile
FAR, who upset Cardoso by allegedly obtaining a wide-angle tactical video of a recent Mamelodi Sundowns Betway Premiership match, have kept a low profile since arriving in South Africa on Friday.
They also have a Portuguese coach, Alexandre Santos, and he has already claimed a significant victory over Mamelodi Sundowns when in charge of Angolan club Petro Luanda.
Dismissed as outsiders in a 2021 CAF Champions League quarter-final, Petro beat Mamelodi Sundowns in Luanda and forced a draw in Johannesburg to advance.
“Every day we work on tactical, physical and mental preparations. We want to represent FAR and Morocco in the best possible way,” said Santos.
“Sundowns are a well organised team with considerable experience of competing in Africa. We are focusing on tactical discipline, reducing mistakes and taking advantage of opportunities.”
Unhappy with referee
Neither Mamelodi Sundowns nor FAR were happy when Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo from the Democratic Republic of Congo was chosen to referee the first leg, but the organisers rejected calls for a change.
Ngambo handled the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final. Most of the Senegal team walked off the pitch after Morocco were awarded a penalty. They later returned and won 1-0 in extra time.
Morocco appealed to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and were awarded a 3-0 victory.
Senegal are now awaiting the outcome of their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Final dates
This year’s CAF Champions League first leg will take place at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria with kick-off scheduled for 16:00.
The second leg will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on Sunday, 24 May at 21:00 (SA time).
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse