SA clubs take unbeaten record to Botswana

Two South African clubs will be playing in Botswana this weekend in African club competition and will be looking to protect an unbeaten record.

No South African side has ever lost a match to Botswana opposition in any of the annual African club competitions, although Orlando Pirates were eliminated from the African Champions League by Gaborone United in a famous upset in 2010.

It came on the away goals rule after Pirates drew 0-0 away in Gaborone, which was a far from satisfactory outcome for coach Ruud Krol and his side, but nevertheless looked to set them up for progress with home advantage in the return game, which they moved to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

Pirates were coasting at 2-0 until Katlego Mashego headed in an own goal from a Vincent Phiri corner in the 86th minute and, two minutes later, substitute Stephen Maposa headed home the equaliser to see Gaborone draw 2-2 and knock out the might Buccaneers.

Pirates are back in Gaborone this weekend where they will meet Jwaneng Galaxy in the second round of the Champions League, having come through an easy tie against Djabal of the Comoros Islands in the first round last month.

Pirates’ game on Sunday is preceded by an African Confederation Cup meeting between Gaborone United and SuperSport United at the National Stadium. It is also a second-round, first-leg tie.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

South African clubs have been playing against teams from Botswana since the country’s first year of participation in African club competitions some 30 years ago.

Kaizer Chiefs made the short trip over the border in 1993 for their first game in the old-style African Champions Cup in 1993, winning against Lobatse Gunners.

In a total of 18 past meetings between clubs from the two countries, South African sides have won 16 with two draws.

Jwaneng Galaxy lost to both Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns two seasons ago while SuperSport United previously met Gaborone United in the first round of the Confederation Cup in 2014 and beat them 3-0 on aggregate when the tall Senegalese striker Mame Niang scored all the goals over the two legs. He got two in Atteridgeville in the first leg but squandered a penalty which would have given him a hat-trick.

After Sundowns eliminated Galaxy from the Champions League in the 2020-21 season, the Botswana club dropped down to the Confederation Cup and were drawn against South African opposition again in the playoff for a place in the group phase of the competition.

Pirates won 3-0 away in the first leg and 1-0 at home in the return. Thulani Hlatshwayo, Linda Mntambo and the Congolese Jean-Marc Makusu, who did not stay long, scored in Gaborone and Mntambo in the return.