Mamelodi Sundowns defeated FAR Rabat 1-0 in the first leg of their CAF Champions League final in Pretoria on Sunday.
Aubrey Modiba’s stunning first-half free-kick separated the two sides.
The South Africans dominated possession for long periods and created the clearer chances, but FAR Rabat showed resilience and defensive organisation to keep themselves firmly alive in the tie ahead of the return encounter at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
FAR Rabat created the first chance of the game in the 22nd minute.
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Veteran defender Younes Abdelhamid rose highest to meet a cross in the 22nd minute, but his header drifted narrowly wide of the target in what proved to be one of the visitors’ best moments of the match.
The breakthrough finally arrived for Sundowns in the 37th minute through Modiba, who produced a spectacular strike from a direct free-kick.
The left-back unleashed a powerful effort that flew beyond the reach of the FAR goalkeeper, who managed to get fingertips to the ball but could not prevent it from crashing into the net.
The tie remains finely balanced with 90 minutes still to play in Rabat.
