ISITOBHA seMamelodi Sundowns, u-Aubrey Modiba sihlohle ozakwabo ngokuthi bangabinalo uzwelo uma sebebhekene ne-Esperance de Tunis yaseTunisia kowomlenze wokuqala we-quarterfinal yeCaf Champions League.
ISundowns izokwamukela i-Esperance emdlalweni othathwa njengowamagqubu namuhla ngo 3 ntambama, eLoftus Versveld, ePitoli.
Ziningi izinongo ezenza ukuthi lo mdlalo ophakathi kwalezi zikunzi zebhola lase-Afrika ulindelwe ngabomvu. ISundowns ayikaze iyishaye i-Esperance emlandweni yize sebehlangane amahlandla amane kweyeCaf.
Yilona futhi leli qembu laseTunisia elikhiphe ompetha baseMzansi kowandulela owamanqamu ngesizini edlule okulandelwe wukuphela komsebenzi kuRhulani Mokwena.
Ngesikhathi i-Esperance ikhahlelela iSundowns ngaphandle ngonyaka odlule, ibiqeqeshwa nguMiguel Cardoso osekungumlando ukuthi uyena osepheka kuleli qembu laseChloorkop.
Kungenxa yalo mlando ophakathi kwalama maqembu uModiba ebadonse ngendlebe ozakwabo ngokuqinisa isandla kulo mdlalo womlenze wokuqala.
“Akekho kithina odinga ukutshelwa ukuthi lo mdlalo uzoba lukhuni kangakanani nokuthi unemilenze embili yingakho kumqoka ukuwudlala kusibusa emqondweni lokho,” kusho uModiba obekhuluma nabezindaba izolo ePitoli.
“Njengoba siqala ekhaya kusho ukuthi sizoqedela enkundleni yabo, ngakho-ke kufanele kuthi kufikwa lapho sibe sesibakhathaze ngazo zonke izindlela.
“Akufanele siye kowomlenze wesibili kusekhona okulengayo, yingakho uma kuvuleka ithuba kufanele siwahlohle abe maningi ngoba siyaqonda ukuthi bazobe sebesebenzisa ezabo izinhlelo eziyisipesheli uma sesibavakashele kowomlenze wesibili."
ISundowns izobe iqala ukudlalela eLoftus kusukela inqobe ngo 4-1 kwi-Orlando Pirates koweligi. UModiba ubengekho ekhempini yeBafana Bafana yakamuva ngenxa yezizathu ezithinta umndeni.
Uyakholelwa kwisipiliyoni abasiqoqa ngamabanga amade abawahamba kulo mqhudelwano nangokudlala kwiBafana.
“Okuhle ngeningi lethu kwiSundowns ukuthi sonke sizijwayele izimo ezifana nalezi. Siya kulo mdlalo ngenhlonipho kodwa siyazi ukuthi nathi bayasihlonipha. Njengoba sisekhaya kufanele kubonakale ngayo yonke indlela okuhlanganisa nomphumela,” kusho uModiba.
Yize sebeqalile ukuziqeqesha abanye babadlali abebelimele okunguThemba Zwane noMothobi Mvala kodwa uCardoso ukuqinisekisile ukuthi ngeke badlale.
UCardoso uthe usazoyidlela amathambo engqondo ekaModiba kodwa uRivaldo Coetzee ngeke amsebenzise ngenxa yokulimala.