Downs look to climb Pyramids!

Mamelodi Sundowns went 16 matches without losing in the CAF Champions League before going down 1-0 to TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi last weekend. They created numerous goalscoring opportunities but failed to convert them. The Brazilians were also denied by the woodwork a couple of times, before Glody Likonza scored the only goal of the game midway through the second half to give the home side a crucial win. The defeat is Downs’ first in the CAF Champions League since losing 2-1 to Petro Atletico of Angola in April 2020. The question now arises: can the Tshwane giants bounce back and replicate the African Football League success? In this preview, former players tell Soccer Laduma’s Zola Doda that a victory this coming weekend against Egypt’s Pyramids FC will put the side in a good position to progress to the knockout stages of this season’s tournament.

First meeting between the two

When Mamelodi Sundowns host Pyramids FC in the CAF Champions League Group A this weekend, it will be the fifth meeting between the reigning DStv Premiership champions and clubs from Egypt this year. Rulani Mokwena’s side drew 2-2 against Al Ahly in February, before winning the return leg 5-2 in Tshwane just a month a later. The two sides met again in October and this time around it was during the African Football League semi-finals, where the Brazilians edged the Club of the Century 1-0 on aggregate over two legs. On the other hand, Pyramids were knocked out of last season’s CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinals by Marumo Gallants, but this will their first match against the Tshwane giants. The Egyptian side qualified for this season’s tournament after finishing runners-up to Al Ahly. They kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over TP Mazembe, thanks to a goal from former SuperSport United and Cape Town City striker Fagrie Lakay.

This season, they occupy first position in the Egyptian Premier League, two points ahead of secondplace Al Ahly but with a game in hand. But a former TP Mazembe star tells Soccer Laduma that Downs have learnt a from their defeat in the Democratic Republic of Congo and have enough ammunition to beat the Egyptians…

Sundowns and Mazembe will win this group Rainford Kalaba – Former TP Mazembe midfielder

“This group is still wide open, so anything is possible. But personally, I would like to see TP Mazembe and Mamelodi Sundowns make it out of the of the group and qualifying for the quarterfinal because these are two strongest teams in the group. Mazembe is one of the biggest teams on the African continent and every player that joins the team understands that playing for the team is an honour and a challenge that cannot be taken for granted. In order to succeed at Mazembe, you have to be committed and that is why they were able to beat Sundowns this past weekend. The current Mazembe team is made up of mainly younger players who are eager to make a difference, they put in a lot of effort in order to win matches and before they played Sundowns, they knew that very well. I think what motivated them to beat Sundowns is the self-belief and the positive mindset. The players were aware of the task and knew that Sundowns is not an easy team to beat. Between now and the end of the group stage matches, anything is possible. All the four teams have three points after winning one match and losing one. But I’m still confident that Sundowns and Mazembe will win this group and progress to the quarterfinal, I have no doubt that.”

Sundowns squad depth

Just a few days after cruising to a 3-0 win against Nouadhibou of Mauritania in their opening Group A match, Sundowns took on rivals SuperSport United in the DStv Premiership at Lucas Moripe Stadium. Mokwena started the game with some of his key players – Teboho Mokoena, Themba Zwane, Khuliso Mudau and Grant Kekana – on the bench, but they still managed to brush aside Gavin Hunt’s men 2-0. Changes to the starting line-up were made with the game against Mazembe in mind and that still did not affect the team’s performance and fluidity. With more than 20 league matches remaining before the end of the season as well as competing in the continent, a former Downs marksman believes that the side has enough depth to cope with the demand.

That happens, it’s part of the game Lungisani Ndlela – Former Sundowns striker

“Overall, Sundowns is doing well and we can’t throw away hope of winning the Champions League because they lost one game against Mazembe. Sundowns have a bigger and stronger squad out of the teams in the group. Coach Rhulani made some changes in his team for the match against SuperSport and decided to use other players. In my opinion, the coach did that just to give other players some muchneeded rest and keep them fresh for the next game. Coaches are not just thinking about the match in front them, they also need to keep in mind other matches and that is why resting players and keeping fresh legs is important. If you sign players and you want them to stay with the team, then at some point you have to use them. He did and beat SuperSport 2-0. So, the defeat against Mazembe doesn’t make the team a bad team overnight. They are still a good team, but it’s just that they didn’t achieve what they wanted to achieve on the day. And that happens, it’s part of the game. Now they must shift their focus to this coming weekend match. I believe that Sundowns will get their confidence and they know what they are capable of achieving, especially after winning the African Football League. They know how much the next two matches [against Pyramids] mean. They still want to conquer Africa by winning the Champions League again.”

We are the best in this group Roger Feutmba – Former Sundowns midfielder

“In every competition, results are very important. Even though Sundowns lost against Mazembe, I still believe that we are the best team in that group. We have proven it before and we have been in this situation where we had to bounce back after a defeat. I have no doubt that with the quality of this team, Sundowns will do well and manage to qualify for the knockout stage. The loss in Lubumbashi is definitely a wake-up call to tell us that even though we are the best and are a quality team, we still need to be careful and remain focused and make sure that we are composed and capitalise on chances. We created good chances in Lubumbashi and we have to make sure that we convert our chances because Sundowns will never finish a game without creating chances. I’m sure that this weekend we will have opportunities to score, but we need to put the ball in the back of the net and ensure we don’t concede. We are the best in this group and we have what it takes to move forward. It’s always difficult to play against a team you have never played against before, but I believe that the technical team have done their homework. But the most important thing is not about what opponents are doing, it’s about what Sundowns is capable of doing. In football, you need to focus on your game and make sure that you have a convincing game plan. The type of football that Sundowns is playing can win you football games consistently. Sundowns will never finish a game without creating chances, they just need to make sure that they put the ball in the back of the net and not concede. This brand of football that Sundowns are playing has been part of our philosophy for many years.”

Pressure to win Champions League

Despite dominating domestic football, things have not been so easy for Downs in continental football. The last time they won the most coveted club football competition in Africa was in 2016 when they defeated other Egyptian giants, Zamalek, in the final. Since then, they have been knocked out of the quarterfinals four times, group stages once and the semi-finals once. This season, their squad is more experienced and the additional signing of Brazilian attacker Lucas Ribeiro Costa is proving to be a masterstroke for Masandawana. With Ribeiro Costa and Shalulile up front, the Tshwane giants have one of the deadliest attacking duo in the tournament. The two attackers have scored a combined 17 goals and made five assists between them, and their presence might prove too much for the Pyramids defence that has conceded seven league goals in as many matches. Feutmba goes on to give his take on the two crucial players…

“Peter Shalulile is a great goal scorers. The (three) goals he has scored in the few matches since he came back from injury proves how much he means to the team. Sundowns wanted him to come back quickly because is a very important member of the team. His presence also brings confidence to other players. I know it from my personal experience that when the team wants you come back from injury, they will do all the work they can in order to get you back on the field. When I was at Sundowns, and recovering from an injury, sometimes I used to train with just the physical trainer, sometimes three times a day because the team wanted me back. I’m sure Peter and Lucas went through the same gruelling fitness programme because the team needed them back and now that they are back, you can see that results speak for themselves. Now that they are back, Sundowns need to go all out and try to win this trophy again. They are competing against the best teams on the continent and the know that. That is why we can also see their standard improving all the time. If you want to be the best on the continent, you must compete with the best and beat them, and believe that Sundowns can go far in this competition. Pressure will always be there and it’s how they handle it. But I’m sure that the supporters will be happy as long as the team is trying to win. If supporters are behind the team, the team will not give up.”