Mamelodi Sundowns to face FAR Rabat in CAF Champions League final
via The Namibian3 min read
Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa will play FAR Rabat of Morocco in the CAF Champions League final after both teams secured their spots on Saturday. Sundowns advanced by defeating Esperance of Tunisia 1-0 in the semi-final second leg, with Colombian Brayan Leon scoring the decisive goal in the 35th minute. This secured a 2-0 aggregate victory for Sundowns, with Leon also scoring the only goal in the first leg. Meanwhile, FAR Rabat lost 1-0 away to Renaissance Berkane in an all-Moroccan encounter, but still qualified 2-1 on aggregate. Yassine Labhiri converted a 57th-minute penalty for Berkane after a six-minute VAR review. Both finalists have previously won the African title once; FAR in 1985 and Sundowns in 2016. The first leg of the final will be held in Pretoria on May 15, with the return match in Rabat on May 24. The final will feature a matchup between Portuguese coaches, with Miguel Cardoso leading Sundowns and Alexandre Santos guiding FAR. Cardoso will be making his third consecutive Champions League final appearance.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
Czech player Jakub Mensik, 20, defeated Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in the French Open quarter-finals with a score of 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 7/3. This victory marks Mensik's best performance at a Grand Slam, and he will now face second seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Friday. Mensik, ranked 27th in the world, described his performance as one of his best. The match was the youngest men's quarter-final at Roland Garros since 2006. Mensik secured the first two sets with early breaks. Although Fonseca broke Mensik at the start of the third set and later led 5-3, Mensik saved a set point and fought back. Fonseca saved six match points to force a tie-break, but Mensik ultimately won on his seventh match point.
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