Sundowns stun Kotoko

Mamelodi Sundowns recorded their first win in their pre-season training tour of Ghana with a 2-0 victory over champions Kumasi Asante Kotoko at the Baba Yara Stadium yesterday.

The moderate South Africa side, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Hearts of Oak in their first game in Accra last Wednesday, cut Kotoko to size with some free-flowing football in a match watched by a sparse crowd.

Embattled coach, Mas-Ud Didi Dramani, was not on the bench of Kotoko, fuelling reports he was on his way out of the club he led to the 2012/2013 Glo Premier League title.

His assistant, Henry Wellington, who took charge of the team yesterday, was unable to craft a game plan to trouble the visitors.

All the 18 players Kotoko presented for the match had the opportunity to play through substitutions yet nothing productive happened.

On the opposite end, Sundowns coach, Pisto Mosimane, was relatively comfortable in his technical area directing affairs as his players responded with alacrity.

The first half was fairly balanced with Kotoko’s Seidu Bancey, Michael Helegbe and Ranford Osei coming close to scoring on various occasions.

Sundowns’ Zambian goalie Kennedy Mweene was alert and had good cover from the backline, and as such the visitors were not troubled much in the first half.

Influential Sundowns captain Teko Modise controlled well in the middle and inspired his side, who opened up fiercely from restart. They were awarded with the opening goal three minutes into the second half.

Under-pressure, Koroko star Smallboy Korbah only directed the ball into his net as Sundown laid siege in the Kotoko area.

With young players like Jafaru Ahmed, Alhassan Bukari and Francis Adjei all coming into the game to replace their more experienced colleagues, Kotoko were persistently at the receiving end, apart from a few occasions when lanky Ugandan international Joseph Ochaya attempted some trademark drives.

Rashid Sumaila, who was in the Kotoko jersey in the first half, changed to play for his new club, Sundowns, in the second half sporting the No. 26 jersey.

He covered well and with the game drawing to a close, Sundowns punished Kotoko again. This time Albert Bruce fumbled with a ball in the middle and Bongani Zungu profited from the blunder and raced with the ball before firing past substitute keeper Felix Annan.

By Kwame Asare Boadu/Daily Graphic/Ghana