Two days ago South African football had a Friday it would rather forget. On Sunday afternoon, a club playing its first continental campaign gave the country something to smile about, and it did it without a single nervy minute.
Durban City won 3-0 away to AS Port Louis 2000 in Mauritius, 6-1 on aggregate, and the Durban City CAF group stage place is booked: the Citizens are in the Confederation Cup group stage for the first time, iDiski Times and SoccerMag reported at full time. Gaston Sirino, Haashim Domingo and Ethan Brooks scored.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Result | AS Port Louis 2000 0-3 Durban City |
| Half-time | 0-2 |
| Aggregate | Durban City win 6-1 |
| Goals | Gaston Sirino 12′, Haashim Domingo 25′, Ethan Brooks 52′ |
| Venue | Côte d’Or National Sports Complex, Saint-Pierre, Mauritius |
| Stage | CAF Confederation Cup, second preliminary round, second leg |
How the Durban City CAF group stage place was won
If Port Louis had a plan to chase a two-goal deficit at home, it lasted twelve minutes. Sirino struck first, and the 3-1 lead from Durban a week ago was suddenly 4-1 on aggregate.
Domingo added the second on 25 minutes. By half-time it was 2-0 on the night and, for all practical purposes, over. There was something neat about the pattern. The same two men had scored in the first leg at Moses Mabhida, Domingo early on and Sirino just after the restart, the club and CAF reported. Different order, same duo, same result.
The second half was about finishing the job without drama. Ethan Brooks, sent on for Sirino at the start of the half according to iDiski Times, made it 3-0 seven minutes after the restart. SoccerMag described a second-half chance that summed up the afternoon’s ease: Jean Lubumba ran clear, rounded the goalkeeper and still could not find an empty net. On a nervier day that might have mattered. On this one, nobody minded.
A fortnight that changed the season
Remember where this started. Durban City had already seen off Rukinzo of Burundi in the first round when the club announced Eric Tinkler as head coach on 8 October. Five days into the job, he watched his side lose a home derby to AmaZulu. Two weeks and two legs against Port Louis later, he has a side that scores early and travels well.
The place in Africa came from last season’s Nedbank Cup triumph, and iDiski Times called this campaign the club’s continental debut. The club’s own preview on Saturday spoke of a first ever group stage in continental football. That box is ticked now.
Why it matters beyond Durban
Context makes this one sweeter. On Friday night Kaizer Chiefs went out of this same competition on penalties to Red Arrows at Moses Mabhida, as our report from Durban told it, and Mamelodi Sundowns, the holders, went out of the Champions League in Pretoria. The Fan Seat wondered on Sunday morning whether Durban City could join Orlando Pirates in the groups. The answer came on Sunday afternoon, emphatically.
So South Africa will have two clubs in the CAF group stages after all: Pirates in the Champions League, after their 4-0 night against African Stars, and Durban City in the Confederation Cup. The bigger names fell. A club still writing its first chapters in Africa did not.
What comes next for Durban City
There is no time to frame the moment. Stellenbosch come to Chatsworth Stadium in the knockout cup last 16 on Wednesday 28 October at 19:00, the PSL confirms. The round started on Saturday, and our recap of the first ties shows who is already through.
The group stage draw is the next date Durban will circle. For now, the Nedbank Cup holders can say something no Durban City side has said before: they play group-stage football in Africa. Not bad for a first try.