Anything less than a win for Mamelodi Sundowns in their final match against Horoya in South Africa will see Coach Pitso Mosimane taking the exit door of the 2018 CAF Champions League.
Sundowns were last night edged out by holders Wydad Athletic Club in Morocco by 1-0, a triumph that booked the Moroccan champions ticket to the quarter-finals of Africa’s biggest club competition.
However, Coach Mosimane remains confident of his team’s fate. Despite dropping one step below in Group C, the 54-year-old South African coach believes that the ‘Brazilians’ will see off Guinean side Horoya to reach the quarterfinals.
“We will win against Horoya, we will meet again with Wydad, hopefully in the semifinals. I like to come here. Let’s see what will happen. But in South Africa, we win,” Sundowns official website quotes Mosimane.
The South African side earlier targeted a draw in Morocco that could give them a better chance of qualifying, but Anas Al Asbahi’s lone goal became a stumbling block.
“It was a good game of high quality,” Mosimane said. “First, congratulations to Wydad. They showed that they are a big team and they showed that they are the champions of Africa. I am happy with my team but I am not happy with the results. We didn’t sit back, we came here to win and we pressed from the first minute to force the goalkeeper to kick and make sure that Said doesn’t play. We achieved our objectives of making them play long balls. We dealt with the long balls properly. They are a good team. They are the champions. But we are also a good team. We came here to play.”
With so much optimism over their final match at home, the 2016 CAF Champions League holders chances of qualifying are very slim as a draw will shelter the Guinean outfit to the quarterfinals.
“The chances to reach the knockout stage are 50/50,” Mosimane said. “All we have to do is win our last match at home. We win our last match, we qualify. We’re playing at home, when we are playing at home we are strong. Even here we were strong. We played Wydad in South Africa and we put them under pressure for most of the match. We dominated Wydad in South Africa, so we have to win at home. If you don’t win, you’re out.”
Image: Mamelodi Sundowns
