Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has credited the players' attitude as the springboard that ensured that they qualified for the quarter-final of the Caf Champions League following a hard-fought 4-2 win over Al Hilal on Saturday.
After beating champions Al Ahly in back-to-back matches, away and at home, Downs were a point away from qualifying for the last-eight of the continental showpiece ahead of the penultimate round of the group stage away to Al Hilal in Sudan.
They achieved that feat through a resilient performance, thanks to goals from Peter Shalulile, Teboho Mokoena and Thapelo Morena, who scored a brace. Yasir El Tayeb and Osman Eltayib scored the two consolation goals for the hosts.
“What helped us to win was the players' attitude. We just have a very good group of players that have a great attitude,” Mokwena said in the aftermath. “We knew that we had to deal with (Mohammed) Ouattara’s diagonal balls in the game.
“We had to deal with (Ibrahim) Mustapha’s speed. (Abdul) Ajugun is creative and creates a lot of opportunities for them to score. But we were prepared and the players showed great spirit and tactical discipline. All the credit goes to the players.”
After scoring an early goal from Shalulile, Downs nearly undid their work after defender Brian Onyango received a straight red card in the 11th minute. The team readjusted their approach as they had to play with a man-down going forward.
“What made it even more difficult was having to play the match with one man down. This made the game very, very difficult for our team. But instead of complaining and whining we just got on with the business,” a proud Mokwena said.
“We showed respect for the badge and the nation. The players played the game the way it was supposed to be played. So, a huge congratulations to our players for the gallant fight. They showed a fantastic spirit, resilience and diligence.”
Having also qualified for the quarter-final as Group A winners, with a game to spare at home to Al Merrikh, Downs will be able to focus more on the title race and the Nedbank Cup, where they’ll play Summerfield Dynamos in the last eight.