Menzi Magubane
Ngemuva kwesiqalo esibi kakhulu njengomqeqeshi weKaizer Chiefs, uGavin Hunt usengathandwa yiwo wonke umuntu othintekayo ezinhlelweni zeqembu. NgoMgqibelo ebusuku uHunt uqondise Amakhosi empumelelweni yawo yodumo kwi-CAF Champions League ngesikhathi beshaya i-Wydad Casablanca ngegoli elilodwa eqandeni.
Igoli likaBernard Parker ngemizuzu engama-48 linikeze uHunt ithuba lokuba ngumqeqeshi we-Chiefs ophumelele kakhulu kulo mncintiswano. Kumanje uselibhalile igama lakhe emabhukwini omlando weqembu ngokungena kweyamaqoqo – okuyinto Amakhosi angakaze ayenze phambilini.
Okwenze ukunqoba iqembu lase-Morocco kwamnandi kakhulu kuHunt ukuthi ukwenze sekusele abadlali abayisishiyagalolunye enkundleni. Unozinti uDaniel Akpeyi unikezwe ikhadi elibomvu umzuzu owodwa ngaphambi kokuba kungene igoli.
Umgadli ovelele uSamir Nurkovic naye ulandele ngokuthola ikhadi elibomvu ngenkathi ethola imiyalo yakhe yokumasha kusasele umzuzu ngaphambi kwempempe yokugcina. Lokhu kusho ukuthi uHunt uzodlala ngaphandle kwalabadlali ababili emdlalweni wokugcina obalulekile we-Chiefs ngoMgqibelo ozayo.
I-Chiefs izobhekana ne-Horoya FC emdlalweni ozoba nzima ngoMgqibelo. La maqembu omabili i-Chiefs ne-Horoya anamaphuzu ayisishiyagalombili kodwa ahlukaniswe ngomehluko wamagoli.
Uma i-Chiefs inganqoba e-Guinea ngoMgqibelo izolungela ama-quarter final alo mqhudelwano. Lokhu kungenza uHunt abe nguyena okhethekile kubathandi baMakhosi.
Kuzoba yisivivinyo esikhulu kuHunt nabafana bakhe uma kubhekwa ukuthi bahlulekile ukunqoba e-Soweto emlenzeni wokuqala. Lowo mdlalo waphela bedlale ngokulingana kungenamagoli kodwa lokho kwakungaphambi kokuthi Amakhosi athole ithuba lokungena kulo mqhudelwano.
NgoMgqibelo i-Horoya nayo inqobe umdlalo wayo wesihlanu ngemuva kokushaya iPetro de Luanda esezansi ngegoli elilodwa eqandeni.
Khonamanjalo ngoLwesihlanu ebusuku i-Mamelodi Sundowns yehluleke okokuqala ngqa ukuqoqa amaphuzu aphezulu kulo mkhankaso wale sizini. I-Downs, esivele idlulele kumaquarter-final, idlale ngokulingana ngomdlalo ongenamagolo ne-Al-Hilal yase-Sudan.
I-Sundowns ihamba phambili ku-Group B ngamaphuzu ayi-13 ngemuva kwemidlalo emihlanu. NgoLwesihlanu oluzayo bazokwamukela i-CR Belouizdad yase-Algeria emdlalweni wokugcina weqoqo.