Downs vulnerable after narrow victory
MAMELODI Sundowns are in danger of joining the list of recent Caf Champions League holders who have crashed out early in the defence of their title, after their 2-1 win over Uganda’s Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) on Friday.
The slender winning margin in the first leg of the opening tie of Downs’ defence of their continental crown at Lucas Moripe Stadium has left them in a precarious situation.
Coach Pitso Mosimane is worried about taking a tenuous lead to Kampala for Saturday’s return match in their first-round tie.
“We have ourselves to blame for putting ourselves in this position so we need to take ourselves out of this position‚” Mosimane said. “So we have to fight for it.” Sundowns‚ who had a bye in the preliminary round‚ jet off on Wednesday to Kampala where they play on an artificial surface at the Phillip Omondi Stadium‚ knowing that a 1-0 defeat will see them eliminated on the away goals rule.
They would join recent Champions League winners like Al Ahly, of Egypt, and TP Mazembe Englebert, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, in embarrassingly early exits.
“We need to be cautious for the second leg and roll up our sleeves because it won’t be an easy game on that artificial pitch,” Mosimane said.
“It’s going to be tough, our mentality will have to be right.
“But we don’t have to win‚ by the way‚” he added‚ referring to the one-goal lead that Sundowns can successfully defend if they draw or even lose‚ in which case they must score two goals.
The Sundowns coach complimented the Ugandans‚ who had been shell-shocked by giving away two goals in the opening six minutes.
KCCA then fought back to grab a potentially vital away goal in the 69th minute through former Wits and Bloemfontein Celtic striker Geoffrey Sserunkuma.
“They worked hard . . . they really worked off the ball.”
Asked if his team had perhaps been over-confident, he said: “Possibly . . . But I don’t think we were ever in trouble.”
He swatted away a question about them being fatigued by their relentless run of fixtures.