UMQEQESHI weMamelodi Sundowns, uMiguel Cardoso, ubahlome uphaphe lwegwalagwala abadlali bakhe ngabakwenzile bejikela i-AS Maniema Union sekuvalwe amehlo emdlalweni kaGroup B wesigaba samaqoqo seCaf Champions League, eStade des Martyrs de la Pentecote, eKinshasa, ngoMgqibelo.
ISundowns ebilandela ngemuva kusukela ngesiwombe sokuqala, ishaye amagoli amabili ngemizuzu yokugcina yokuphela komdlalo. UPeter Shalulile ushaye elokuqala esuka ebhentshini, elinye kwaba wumkhonto ogwaze ekhaya kusukela emsebenzini wakhe lo mgadli waseNamibia. IDowns inqobe ngo 2-1.
Ukunqoba kweSundowns kulo mdlalo wesihlanu kuGroup B, kuyibeke ethubeni elihle lokudlulela kuma-quarterfinal eChampions League njengoba isidinga iphuzu kuphela emdlalweni wokugcina wesigaba samaqoqo ezowudlala ne-AS FAR Rabat yaseMorocco ngeSonto eLoftus Versfeld Stadium, ePitoli.
Okunye okwandise amathuba eSundowns wukubambana ngo 1-1 kwe-AS FAR neRaja Casablanca ngawo uMgqibelo. Lokhu kwenze iSundowns yabambelela endaweni yesibili kwi-log kaGroup B ngamaphuzu ayisishiyagalombili ngemuva kwe-AS FAR eqhwakele ngangu-9.
“Ngijabule kakhulu futhi ngiyaziqhenya ngomsebenzi owenziwe ngabadlali bami. Bakwazile ukuphikelela kwaze kwaba sekugcineni phezu kokuba bebhekene nomdlalo onzima,” kusho uCardoso.
“Bekungelula neze ukubhekana nabo (Maniema) ngoba basebenzisa kakhulu amandla futhi badlala amabhola phambili. Yingakho sibone kufanele ukuthi nathi sisebenzise isitayela sethu sokudlala ukuze sakhe amathuba okushaya amagoli, kwagcina kusisebenzele.”
Uveza nokuthi ubekholelwa kakhulu kubadlali bakhe ukuthi bazozijika izinto, bathole igoli ngesiwombe sesibili, okuyinto egcine yenzekile.
“Bengilokhu ngikholelwa ekutheni abadlali bethu bazoyenza le nto esiyifunayo, njengoba nangesikhathi sekhefu ngibatshelile ukuthi abadlalele ukushaya igoli nje kuphela. Bengazi ukuthi ukushaya kwethu igoli yikho obekuzoshintsha izinto, sikwazi nokulwela elesibili, izimbangi zethu zitheneke amandla okuyinto egcine yenzekile.
Silwile, kwaze kwaba sekugcineni, nabadlali esibafakile ngesiwombe sesibili, oTashreeq (Matthews) noPeter (Shalulile) benze umehluko omkhulu, ikakhulukazi uPeter okhombise okukhulu ukuvuthwa njengomdlali onamava,” kuqhuba uCardoso, onenselelo yokuhola ngempumelelo leli qembu lasePitoli kwiChampions League.
ISundowns ingadlulela kuma-quarterfinal noma ingakhala ngaphansi kwi-AS FAR. Kodwa lokho kungenzeka kuphela uma iManiema ingahlula iRaja emdlalweni ozoba ngeSonto.
I-log kaGroup B weCAF Champions League
AMAQEMBU P W D L Pts
AS FAR 5 2 3 0 9
Sundowns 5 2 2 1 8
Raja 5 1 2 2 5
Maniema 5 0 3 2 3