The Brazilians ‘must do it now’
Nascimento urges Downs to shine
Mamelodi Sundowns defender Ricardo Nascimento has urged his teammates to wrap up the Absa Premiership early to avoid a repeat of last season.
The Brazilians are the frontrunners in the Premiership title race with 10 games to go. Their 1-0 victory over fellow contenders Cape Town City on Friday was a signal of their intensions this season.
Last season, the former African kings relinquished a lead in the latter stages of the title race that was won by Bidvest Wits.
The 30-year-old defender from Bahia in Brazil says the team has learned the hard way and cannot suffer the same fate twice.
“It was definitely a tough pill to swallow last season when we lost the league after being in such a good position,” Nascimento told Sowetan.
“I think our fans deserved better. There is no excuse. We should have done better but that is behind us now and we are aiming to ensure that we at least secure the title with a few games to go.
“But it will be difficult because the other teams are also collecting points and keeping the pressure on us.”
Sundowns have a five-point lead at the summit of the table with 38 points from 20 games, with Orlando Pirates trailing closely behind with 33.
The Chloorkop-based outfit would like to bag the league title early as they will also be preoccupied with the CAF Champions League next month. Nascimento said the team was itching to get their CAF campaign under way.
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