Sirino has Pitso elated
● Guston Sirino proved just how valuable a player he’s going to be for Mamelodi Sundowns in the coming season when he helped his club get back into contention for this year’s Caf Champions League title.
Sirino produced an outstanding display at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Friday night, helping Sundowns beat AS Togo-Port of Togo 2-1.
If there were any questions as to why Pitso Mosimane had travelled all the way to South America to sign the pint-sized Uruguayan in January, his performance against AS Togo-Port in the fourth round of the Champions League answered those critics.
Mosimane was worried about how long it will take to rebuild his attack after the departure of Percy Tau and Khama Billiat, but in Sirino it looks like he has found one big piece of the puzzle.
Sirino played his best match yet for the Brazilians on Friday, getting the team’s first goal with a well-timed toe-poke before supplying a delightful assist to Sibusiso Vilakazi, who buried the pass with an equally exquisite back-heel to go 2-0 up inside 15 minutes.
“I have been waiting for this performance from Sirino,” said Mosimane after the match. “This is his kind of a game. He came out of his shell tonight and turned it on from minute one.
“He has adjusted to the way we play. He carried the team tonight and probably it’s because the other two guys (Tau and Billiat) are not around. I’m happy about the goal he scored.”
Sundowns victory lifted them off the foot of the Group C table and they now look set to qualify for the competition’s last eight if they can earn four points in their last two games away to reigning champions Wydad Casablanca on August 17 and at home against Horoya on August 28.
With Sirino finding his tune just a week before the start of the South African soccer season, Mosimane can’t be happier.
The league champions kick off their league campaign against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Mosimane said it was too early to say which line-up he will start with against Chiefs, the team they defeated 2-1 last week in a pre-season friendly where he started with a second-string side.
If there’s anything worrying Mosimane going to the Chiefs game it must be his central defence, which conceded another late goal against Togo-Port.
“It’s a matter of minding our concentration at critical moments of the match.
“We did the same against Chiefs, conceding in the last minutes,” said Mosimane.
Integrating new players like Venezuelan striker Jose Ali Meza and Guinea-Bissau midfielder Tony Silva is uppermost in Mosimane’s priorities going to Chiefs, especially because Andile Jali and Anthony Laffor are battling injuries that saw them miss the Togo-Port encounter.
Chiefs, who played their last warm-up friendly against Cape Town City at Mbombela Stadium yesterday, should have their new Italian coach Giovanni Solinas on the bench.