Just like a policeman with a gun and a ballistic shield at hand, Rulani Mokwena stood tall to defend his Mamelodi Sundowns side and shot from the hip, rallying up the Tunisian media and Esperance.
Masandawana suffered a first loss in 23 games across all competitions when they were at the end of a 1-0 loss against Tunisian giants Esperance in the first-leg semi-final of the Caf Champions League.
After the game, Mokwena fulfilled one of his mandatory duties, which is to share his thoughts and field questions from members of the Fourth Estate.
Mokwena was asked if the four-time Champions League winners were tactically superior than the Brazilians, a question he did not take kindly to.
“I have to defend my team. I don’t agree that tactically, Esperance won, I fully disagree. I think in football there are two important things, the first is, how many chances are you able to create, and who created the most chances between us and Esperance?
“Who defended better? The one that gave more chances or the one that gave less chances. Did Sundowns concede more chances to Esperance or did Esperance concede more chances to Sundowns. They conceded more chances than Sundowns,” said Mokwena.
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“How do you defend well when you concede more chances than the opposition? Maybe I have a different perspective on how I analyse football. When you defend, you have to not concede chances.
“How many times do you see Esperance parking the bus in this country? If you guys are happy, then there is no problem with that. You can praise Esperance without degrading the performance of Sundowns, it is possible.”
Sundowns will have all to do in the reverse fixture, and perhaps the extra motivation to turn around the tie would be to honour their late stadium announcer, Peter Masbuse, popularly known as Mashata, who was gunned down this past Sunday.
Downs are in search of a third Champions League final, having made their maiden appearance in 2001 where they succumbed to Egyptian giants Al Ahly. But Pitso Mosimane led Sundowns’ revenge against another Egyptian powerhouse, Zamalek, who they stunned to claim their own title in 2016.
There is a possibility of meeting with Al Ahly in the final, who managed to come out of Lubumbashi unharmed as the record holders held TP Mazembe to a goalless draw. For Downs to relive another Champions League final, Mokwena knows what needs to be done this coming Friday at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
“I am extremely proud of the efforts of my players. I thought we were brave on the ball and we suffered in moments when we had to suffer against a very good team. When I watched the games of Esperance, I don’t remember a team dominating Esperance at home like we did,” said Mokwena.
Robala Ka Kgotso Mashata 💛#Sundowns #RIPPeter pic.twitter.com/m9yv5UojpE
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) April 21, 2024
