Cape Town — Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena tried to put his team’s emphatic 5-2 win into perspective by saying the great Real Madrid stopped Al Ahly in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco last month.
Spain's Real Madrid are ranked the world's No 2 club, and they stopped Al Ahly from reaching the championship round.
Mokwena was speaking after the side's swashbuckling performance against Africa's Club of the Century, Al Ahly, who suffered a 5-2 defeat at Loftus on Saturday afternoon.
"It is not easy (to play a side like Al Ahly) because it is a very good side," said Mokwena. "Do not forget that this is Al Ahly that we are talking about. This is the team that last season finished third at the Club World Cup.
"They not so long ago lost out to Real Madrid, so don't forget that. Don't forget that today we beat a very good side."
As is his custom since he was appointed sole head coach of Sundowns, Mokwena offered his congratulations to all and sundry.
“Congratulations to the football club, congratulations to the football players, congratulations to the technical team and everyone involved,” said Mokwena.
“These types of victories are moments where you do not want to lose focus. You still have to stay very, very focused.
“It is very dangerous if you do not, so you have to stay focussed. There are two more games in the group stages, and thereafter there is still a very long way in the Champions League.”
In handing down his congratulations, Mokwena made special mention of the club's supporters, who turned out in their numbers and were very vocal on Saturday.
"A huge congratulations to the Yellow Nation’s supporters," said Mokwena. "Today, they showed what is needed from them in the Champions League. As I said, they needed to be our 12th man.
"They needed to sing, they needed to bring their drums and to make the atmosphere as hostile and uncomfortable for the opposition.
"That is what they did today. I think this is what helped us, even in the second half under difficult conditions."
Following Saturday's outcome, the 10-time Champions League winners are on the brink of elimination.
Both teams have played four Group B matches to date and leaders Sundowns, with 10 points have already qualified for the knock-out phase. Al Ahly have a mere four points and are in third place. Al Hilal, with three wins on the trot, are in second place with nine points and well-placed to advance.
Al Ahly coach Marcel Koller feels that his team’s slim hopes of reaching the knock-out stage rest on Sundowns beating Al Hilal if the Egyptians manage to win their remaining two games.
It might happen that since Sundowns have already advanced, they could field a weakened team in their remaining group games and select a team of second-stringers as they did in the Premiership against Stellenbosch FC recently.
"I hope that Sundowns will play the next two games fairly, as we know to be," said Koller. "For I can't answer the question about qualifying.
"Congratulations to Sundowns and they earned their win today.
"We played a very bad first half and we started the second half at 3-1. We wanted to take a risk to score goals and get back into the game, but Sundowns used the counter well and scored more goals.
"It made our chances of qualifying much harder. Sundowns played well,but I can say we were better in the second half.
"The first half was not how we wanted to play as a team."
IOL Sport