Defeated in their opening match away to multiple winners of the competition RS Berkane of Morocco, Sekhukhune have given themselves a fighting chance for a top-two finish.
What is the likelihood of another South African club from Limpopo making a significant impact in the CAF Confederation Cup?
It would appear that the second-tier African club knockout competition is a happy hunting ground for sides from the northernmost part of the country.
Granted none have yet to go all the way and win the trophy, but there have been some exciting campaigns in the past – Marumo Gallants’ run to the semi-final last season coming a few years after Black Leopards had reached the quarter-finals.
And while it is a little too early to pronounce them a shoe-in for progression past the group stage, Sekhukhune United’s 2-1 victory over Diables Noirs on Sunday has raised hopes that they could emulate those two by at least reaching the knockout stage.
FULL-TIME..!!!!
⏰9⃣0⃣’+4⃣
Well done Lads👏👏 👏
Sekhukhune United 2⃣- 1⃣ Diables Noirs
🦔🦔🦔#Adibahlabe #TotalEnergiesCAFCC pic.twitter.com/iyvD70vCRh
— Sekhukhune United F.C. (@SekhukhuneFc) December 3, 2023
Ba Bina Noko, playing in the uncharacteristically late 9pm kick-off at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, were impressive in getting the better of the outfit from Congo-Brazzaville via a come-from-behind victory courtesy of goals by Kamohelo Sithole and a splendid full volley by captain Daniel Cardoso.
Defeated in their opening match away to multiple winners of the competition RS Berkane of Morocco, Sekhukhune have given themselves a fighting chance for a top-two finish. They are currently on three points, joint second with Stade Malien, who have a better goal difference.
The two sides look set to contend second spot, with Berkane seemingly set to run away with the group after their 100% start to the campaign. Sekhukhune will look to register yet another late-night victory when they host the Mali outfit on Sunday at 9pm, with their trip to Mali to follow that, and a point there sure to be enough to see them progress.
Coach Lehlohonolo Seema was full of praise for his team after the match.
“It is not rocket science, it is very difficult to get points away – there are lots of factors at play – that’s why we had to make sure we get these points. How, it does not matter.
“I am happy with the effort (of the team). We are still not where we want to be, but we are heading in the right direction.
“We should have got a few goals in the first half, but we couldn’t finish. Credit must go to the players because we had to dig deep.
“We showed there’s character in this club. We can build from this.
“The travelling in this competition is crazy, but we are professionals and we will fight for every point. We are learning to adapt very fast; it is mine and the team’s first time in this competition so it is pleasing when we get results like this.”
Sekhukhune are getting no respite as they have to host Chippa United in a DStv Premiership match on Wednesday night and they desperately need to win that one too, given their poor 13th positioning on the table.
Seema and his team will know only too well that both Leopards and Gallants were relegated in the very seasons when they had splendid runs in the Confederation Cup and would want to avoid suffering the same fate.
Meanwhile, there was nothing pleasing for Gavin Hunt, the SuperSport United coach whose team lost 2-0 in the same competition in a match played earlier in the day at the same venue.
The multiple domestic championship-winning coach admitted that their campaign is essentially a lost cause.
“We are in a difficult position now with four games left. We know internally that we don’t have the squad to go (and compete) on all these fronts (domestic league and cup as well as continental competitions), so we are going to concentrate on the domestic front.
“We don’t have the squad, we try but it is good because it teaches me a lot about the players and about the squad – so it is good building up for the future.”
