Can the Yellow Nation sink the Yellow Submarine?

THIS is it. This is the match that was always going to define Mamelodi Sundowns’ Fifa Club World Cup.

- MATSHELANE MAMABOLO

The clash against one of Europe’s top clubs - Borussia Dortmund — stood out as the biggest test for the South African champions from the moment the draw for the global club championship was made.

The general notion was that the Bundesliga club have to be the favourites to top Group F, while Sundowns would, at best, be third behind Fluminense, with Ulsan HD pencilled in as the potential worst team.

Football is, however, very fickle at the top, and ahead of this evening's clash (6pm SA time kick-off) between the Yellow Nation of Tshwane and the Yellow Submarine of Germany, the standings are nothing like what the punters had forecasted.

Sundowns are top of the group with maximum points following their 1-0 defeat of the South Korean team they should actually have smashed by much more.

Iqraam Rayners scored the winner on a night when Lucas Ribeiro Costa was in scintillating form, delivering some sublime passes to find the Capetonian striker, who actually put the ball into the opposition net on three occasions.

It was a real pity that on two of those, he’d handled the ball before scoring and then strayed offside prior to receiving the ball from his Brazilian teammate.