Despite winning their opening Caf Champions League game against Al Hilal, Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes their group is still wide open.
Johannesburg — After a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Al Hilal in their Champions League group stage opener on Friday night, Mamelodi Sundowns’ co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi is convinced that the top two spots in their group can be taken by any team.
Sundowns started the New Year on a high note after scoring six goals and keeping two clean sheets in as matches in domestic football. So much so that they were tipped to continue with the sheer dominance in their continental outing.
But the Brazilians were on the backfoot for the better part of the game at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium as the Sudanese-bases outfit pinned them in their own half, with some constructive build-ups, attacking football and technical awareness.
However, a costly error in the eighth minute from the visitors’ defence resulted in the opener and winner by Themba Zwane. That win ensured that the hosts bagged all three points and went top of Group A that has reigning champions Al Ahly.
An absolutely clinical finish from Mshishi secured our first win in Group 🅰️!#Sundowns #TotalEnergiesCAFCL pic.twitter.com/o4QPG1XVft
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) February 12, 2022
But Mngqithi is not naïve thinking that the race for the top two spots, which guarantee a quarter-final qualification, will be between them and the Egyptian giants. Instead, he knows that both Al Hilal and Al Merrikh stand a chance as well.
“To be honest, the four teams that are in this group are all capable of going through,” Mngqithi explained in his post-match reactions on Friday. “I don’t want to say who’ll go through. But I hope Mamelodi Sundowns is one of the two teams.
“But the truth of the matter is that it’s not going to be easy for any team – mark my words. As the matches progresses, it’s going to be very tight in this group. I think this is one of the strongest groups in the CAF Champions League this season.”
Sundowns, though, are eager for a better finish than just the quarter-finals this season, having been knocked out by Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly in that stage of competition last term. Al Ahly beat the Brazilians by 3-1 over the two-legged clash.
To ensure that they achieve their target, the Brazilians have bolstered their squad with three quality signings, Teboho Mokoena, Bradley Ralani and Erwin Saavedra, who landed from South America in Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon.
But despite the possibility of a jetlag and exhaustion after playing in the World Cup qualifiers with his native Bolivia, Saavedra made a late cameo against Al Hilal in Rustenburg so that he can have a quick “feel of the group”, according to Mngqithi.
“The reason why we had him in the group was to fast-track his integration in the group. So that he starts to get the feel of the group and participate in the group,” Mngqithi said of Saavedra who’s also reunited with his mate Gaston Sirino.
“Obviously, he is fit because he was playing in South America. And he has done very well for his team. He was always in the team and performed a lot. But we had a little bit of a doubt because of his travelling which took about two days.”
Sundowns, though, will be eager to take the winning momentum to the league when they visit Baroka FC at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow night. The champions are at the top of the log with 47 points, while Baroka are 15th with 13.
