Sports: Laffor Nearing another CAF Glory

Mamelodi Sundowns advance to quarter-finals

Liberia’s international forward Anthony Laffor could be a part of another CAF Championship League glory with his club, Mamelodi Sundowns after they advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Sundowns, CAF defending league champions, advanced to the quarter-finals on Sunday after a 1-1 draw at home to Vita Club of DR Congo but finished second in Group C.

The Liberia forward played a vital role in his side’s last year’s CAF Champions League glory and has so far made five appearances in CAF competitions, scoring two goals.

Laffor, 32, sustained a hamstring injury that led to the forward missing out on Liberia’s first 2018 AFCON qualifying match against the Warriors of Zimbabwe in Harare where the Lone Star was trashed 3-0 by Knowledge Mosuna’s hat trick.
Upon his return from injury, the 32-year-old helped Sundowns secure a narrow win against St. George of Ethiopia in match day 5 of the CAF Champions League. The lone goal from Laffor in the 85th minute sent the Pretoria side second in Group C after five matches.

Despite his club’s participation in both domestic league and continental competition, the forward has told local media in South Africa that the team’s continuous participation in both domestic and continental matches should not be an excuse for him and his teammates.

“Every footballer in the world wants to play football week in, week out. Even in Europe, they play football week in, week out.

We are not complaining because we are enjoying the situation that we are in. We just need to focus well and be very disciplined because at the end of the day, if you’re not disciplined your career is going to get affected,” Laffor told KickOff in South Africa.

Having reached the quarter-finals of the competition, it will be another achievement for the Liberian forward to win the title with his South African Club for two consecutive seasons.

Sundowns were paired against Moroccan side Wydad Athletic Club in the quarter-finals of the competition and will host the Moroccan club at home on September 8, in the first leg, and later travel to Morocco on September 15 for the return leg.

The full draw:
Ahly Tripoli (Libya) vs Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia)
Al Ahly (Egypt) vs Esperance (Tunisia)
Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique) vs USM Alger (Algeria)
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) vs Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco)