Monday morning, and the group chats have not calmed down since Saturday. This is Fluit’s Five 19 October: three clubs went into Africa, and three clubs came home in three different moods. Add a Test match that barely started, and there is plenty to chew on with the first coffee.
1. The Big One: Fluit’s Five 19 October, the CAF weekend in one line
Win, draw, defeat. That was the South African return from the first legs, and each one leaves a different job for this week.
Orlando Pirates did the hard part in Gaborone: a 1-0 lead, a clean sheet and a home leg to come, where a draw would be enough. Mamelodi Sundowns were held 0-0 in Lubango, so a win at home takes them through. They also came back with a worry. Teboho Mokoena went off in the first half, and coach Miguel Cardoso said afterwards that he felt discomfort in a ligament he had hurt before, with tests to follow, EWN reports. Kaizer Chiefs have the steepest climb of the three. How Pirates took their lead in Gaborone.
2. The Matchday Move: the Proteas start again on 20 for 2
Day one at St George’s Park lasted 12.2 overs before the rain won. In that time Scott Boland, picked ahead of Nathan Lyon, took two wickets in two balls: Aiden Markram bowled for 11, David Bedingham gone for nought. Temba Bavuma and the debutant Marques Ackerman saw it through to the close, TimesLIVE and IOL report.
So day two is really day one again, with South Africa already two down and 1-0 behind in the series. The first session decides whether this Test belongs to the bowlers. Everything that was at stake before a ball was bowled.
3. The Talking Point: can Chiefs turn 1-0 around in Durban?
Red Arrows took a one-goal lead in Ndola through Alassane Diarra’s goal late in the game. The return leg is on Friday 23 October at Moses Mabhida Stadium, IOL and AfricaSoccer report, and Chiefs must win it to stay in the Confederation Cup.
Our view: they can, but only if they play Friday like a home game and not like a rescue mission. One goal is not a mountain. Chasing it from the first whistle and leaving gaps behind is how a 1-0 deficit becomes 2-0. Patience is the hard part. Where it went wrong in Zambia.
4. The Stat That Matters: 15
That is Milford’s points total after nine Premiership matches, the PSL’s log shows. In their first season in the top flight, they sit fourth, one point above Kaizer Chiefs, who have played a game fewer. The latest three points came from Saturday’s 1-0 win away to Golden Arrows.
Why it matters: the big three were busy in Africa, and the rest of the league did not wait for them. A promoted club sitting above Chiefs in October is not a fluke after nine games. It is a team that knows exactly what it is. The full log on the PSL site.
5. The One to Watch: Marques Ackerman
His first day as a Test cricketer lasted 12.2 overs before the rain came. Ackerman is 5 not out, and the moment he walks out again he is facing the bowler who has just taken two wickets in two balls, with the series on the line.
Five runs tell us nothing yet. What matters is how he handles Boland and Pat Cummins with a full day ahead. Get through the first hour and a debut becomes a statement. Who Ackerman is and how he got here.
So, for the braai: which of our three CAF clubs is in the most trouble going into the second legs, and why? Pick one, and defend it.