Mamelodi Sundowns held to a draw by Sudan’s Al Merrikh in Cairo

Johannesburg — Mamelodi Sundowns failed to make it two wins in two matches in the group stage of the CAF Champions League after they were held to a goalless stalemate by Al Merrikh at a neutral Al Saalam Stadium, Cairo, on Saturday afternoon.

Sundowns came into this match sitting at the top of Group A after their 1-0 win over Al Hilal at home last Friday. But after champions Al Ahly were held to a goalless draw by Al Hilal on Friday, they knew that full points would give them comfort.

This draw ensured that they remained top of the group with four points. But a win would have given them a morale booster ahead of their match against the Pitso Mosimane coached Al Ahly at Cairo International Stadium on Saturday night.

Sundowns will take positives from the encounter though. They started well, despite taking their foot off the gas in the second half. There was even a full debut for Erwin Saavedra — although he couldn’t finish the first half due to an injury.

After arriving in Cairo on Tuesday night, the Brazilians had enough time to rest and prepare for this encounter. But their technical team was not taking any chances well, making two changes that drew with Baroka FC in the league on Monday.

Erwin Saavedra replaced Pavol Safranko, while Rivaldo Coetzee came in for Teboho Mokoena in the starting line-up. The two changes brought life to the Brazilians' attack and defence as they dominated possession from the outset today.

This was, arguably, Sundowns’ best start in all competitions since the start of the year. But some exceptional goalkeeping from Monged Abuzaid ensured that they had nothing to show for their dominance early on at the Al Saalam stadium.

Abuzaid’s first save came in the first three minutes after the start. He