Galaxy appeared to have made a rod for their own back when they conceded to unanswered goals against Tanzania’s Simba SC in the first leg of the CAF Champions League a fortnight ago in Gaborone. A trip to the notorious Benjamin Mkapa Stadium is not for the faint-hearted as numerous visiting teams have come crashing down, regardless of their stature.
Some of the score lines have bordered on the insane as Simba has made it a habit to win by big margins against some of the continent’s finest teams. Most teams are dragged into the feared cauldron in the capital, Dar-es-Salaam like a gentle lamb to the slaughter. In most cases, the slaughter has been carried out in a brutal fashion. Egyptian giants, Al Ahly and South Africa’s glamour club, Kaizer Chiefs are some of the recent case studies of Simba’s brutality. The high-riding sides were brought down to earth, with the North African sides boarding the plane back to Cairo on the back of a 1-0 defeat. Chiefs were humbled 3-0 but had done enough in the first leg to eliminate East Africa’s best club, according to the 2021 club rankings. Simba is one of the richest clubs in East Africa and has won 21 domestic titles, including consecutive successes in the last three seasons.
The East Africans’ budget last year was an eye-watering $2.6 million (about P30 million) which is almost equivalent to the entire Botswana Football League’s season allocation. Amid all the intimidating records that Simba SC held, particularly at home, few envisaged a David emerging in the form of a six-year-old Galaxy. Simba is approaching 100 years, having been formed in 1936, while Galaxy is still a fresh-faced football baby born in 2015.
Galaxy, floating in the stars on the domestic front after a hugely impressive start to life after bagging a league and two Mascom Top 8 cup titles, were given no chance against Simba. What had compounded Galaxy’s problem was the lacklustre display in the first leg at the National Stadium where the football gods appeared to have abandoned the mining town side. A healthy 2-0 win for Simba all but confirmed Galaxy’s exit from the CAF Champions League for the second season running. No one could argue against 'The Reds of Msimbazi' as Simba are affectionately called, reaching the financially rewarding group stages of CAF’s flagship club competition. Galaxy were walking dead as they entered enemy territory, bringing back memories of the Zebras trip to far-flung Tunisia in the winter of 2008, which started in gloom but ended in jubilation.
More than 20,000 cheers met Simba’s entry into the stadium, as they arrived for what was supposed to be a routine win. At halftime, the deficit had widened to an overall aggregate score of 3-0 as Galaxy conceded what seemed to be one of several nails into their coffin. The Jwaneng-based side was staring into the void but crafted a perfect response after the break as they sprung a surprise that ranks among the finest comebacks in CAF Champions League history.
Wendell Rudath was a key figure in re-creating Galaxy’s Cinderella story after a brace within 15 minutes of the restart that evened the ledger and left the tie delicately balanced at an overall aggregate of 2-2. But the moment that will linger longer in the minds of fans came just four minutes before full-time as Gape Mohutsiwa ghosted from the blindside to push Galaxy into a historic, first ever group stages appearance. Mohutsiwa threw his jersey in the air and sprinted on the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium track with his teammates hot in pursuit in a historic moment of unbridled ecstasy. Television cameras quickly zoomed into a crest-fallen Simba SC fan, gleaning a scene rarely witnessed on the terraces of the 60,000 seater facility. The Galaxy stars refused to be pinned to the ground but instead, floated in space, defying the force of gravity that has cruelly brought down the likes of Al Ahly and Chiefs. New heroes have been born, with the unheralded coach, Morena Ramoreboli a key architect of Simba’s demise.
The Galaxy’s victory was made even sweeter as local football has been on a hiatus for nearly two years and the triumph is reflective of the immense potential that resides within the Botswana game. There was near all-around good news after Botswana’s women national teams also recorded impressive victories against Angola senior and junior teams. Only Orapa United faltered in what was otherwise a gallant effort against the giants of Cameroon, Coton Sport. Fans will hope the Galaxy victory is the perfect starter with a sumptuous dish on the way as the local league springs into life this weekend.
