Dortmund won the game, Sundowns won our hearts

Mamelodi Sundowns lost 4-3 to Borussia Dortmund but dominated the Germans and should have won

Shoe Shine and Piano.

The beating heartbeat of the Masandawana is a desire to play football the right way. That style, is built on Kasi Flava football developed in the townships of South African cities. An identity forged to promote expression in the face of oppression. That expression hardened with Italian inspired discipline, mixed with the Brazilian flair and Dutch technique.

Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala was the cultural father of Mamelodi Sundowns and the godfather of South African football. He is Mr Shoe Shine and Piano, the man that put Sundowns on the South African footballing map in the 1980s and forged their identity. He may have passed on last year but he was there in Cincinnati yesterday and what he saw would have made him proud.

Yesterday the world was introduced to Mamelodi Sundowns. And the world fell in love with them.

Mamelodi Sundowns were faced with the biggest game in their history, against the biggest team they have ever faced. Borussia Dortmund have a squad worth almost 15 times that of Sundowns, a year ago they were one win away from being European Champions and last week spent more money signing Jobe Bellingham than Sundowns have spent in the history of the club.

By all accounts, Dortmund should have thrashed the Brazilians, but this was anything but.

Right from the off, Sundowns were the better side. They controlled the ball, played out from the back, expressed themselves and hounded Dortmund at every step.

And when they needed that Brazilian magic, their Brazilian provided. Lucas Ribeiro is the crowning jewel of this team. He was our player to watch in this team and after a relatively quiet first game, he was at his sensational best.

Reminiscent of Hatem Ben Arfa’s iconic goal for Newcastle against Bolton, he received the ball in his own half, dropped his shoulder to beat one man before ghosting through a fractured Dortmund defence and coolly finishing past Gregor Kobel.

Dortmund were hopelessly outclassed, creating few chances while being carved open at will. Tashreeq Matthews, playing against the team that once rejected him and let him go without ever playing a minute, was at his electric best, making Niklas Süle look like a defender for Magesi FC rather than a German international.

Unfortunately for Sundowns, their brand of football comes with its own particular risks and they fell behind when first Ronwen Williams passed the ball straight to Felix Nmecha and again when Teboho Mokwena lost the ball just outside his own box. Jobe Bellingham’s strike from the edge of the area gave the Germans some breathing space. And when a very fortunate deflection of Khuliso Mudau went past Williams, it looked like Sundowns were being thrashed.

But Sundowns never stopped playing, throughout the whole 90 minutes, they took the game to their illustrious opponents. They eventually were rewarded when Iqraam Rayners turned in a rebound, having headed into the post himself. And late on they fought themselves to just one goal behind when they themselves pressed Dortmund , won the ball high up and slid through Lebo Mothiba who cooly finished.

The match ended 4-3 to Dortmund, but it was Sundowns who were dominant, something born out in the stats.

While Miguel Cardoso has been criticised for his approach to football in Africa, often sacrificing the Masandawana way, in favour of bringing defensive stability, no one can accuse him of that in the US.

Cardoso himself summed up Sundowns remarkable position after the game when he said, “we are not happy, and not being happy is a wonderful sensation in this moment.”

“It means we competed at the highest level and we have the luxury of not being happy after playing Borussia Dortmund. That’s some strange place to be.”

But he’s right, Sundowns are furious that they didn’t beat Dortmund because they should have beaten them. The irony is that Dortmund were in many ways treated to the ultimate Sundowns experience.

They were dominated but with a combination of luck and physical dominance from crosses, they somehow emerged victorious. This is a feeling Dortmund share with Wydad, Esperance and even Petro du Luanda who have all been outplayed against Sundowns in crunch CAF Champions League games but somehow knocked out the Brazilians.

With that loss, Sundowns missed out on the chance to seal qualification to the next round of the tournament, but it is still within their grasp. Fluminense avoided defeat against Ulsan HD and so Masandawana know that going into their last game they have a simple task. If they win, they go through, anything else and they go home.

Once again, they will be the heavy underdogs, but don’t be surprised if they show Fluminense who the real Brazilians are. They’ve certainly showed the rest of the world.

Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala, the godfather of South African football.