Sundowns gutted by quarter-final loss
MANQOBA Mngqithi dragged himself to the bowels of the FNB Stadium on Saturday night after Petro de Luanda put paid to Mamelodi Sundowns' ambitions of winning the CAF Champions League crown.
“It's hurting too much, I don't want to lie,” the dejected cocoach said in his press briefing after the 1-1 draw ensured they lost the quarter-final tie 3-2 on aggregate.
“What is unfortunate is that I still believe that we were a better team on the day but unfortunately that doesn't not count if you don't score.”
Sundowns had gone all out to ensure that they progressed to the semi-finals of the continental showpiece for the first time in six seasons as they had to overturn the 2-1 deficit from the first leg of the quarter-final.
They mobilised their fans and opened up their training session to the public on Thursday.
Their '12th man' turned up at the Calabash in numbers as they witnessed their team take the lead through Brian Onyango before Tiango Azulao landed the sucker punch from the penalty spot as the 1-all draw ensured that the Angolans progressed to the semifinals.
The match was not short of controversy, thanks to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. VAR awarded Sundowns a penalty that Themba Zwane missed and ruled out Petro's equaliser from open play before giving the Angolans the equalising spot-kick.
“Everybody is down and you cannot blame anyone for being angry. I would have felt bad if after this result we were in a very jolly, good mood, willy-nilly to sing and dance,” Mngqithi said.
“Everybody understands how important this match was to us and we all wanted to win this trophy, that's a fact."
Sundowns were one of the favourites to clinch the African crown, given that they were undefeated in group stage and had the most points across the four groups (16). So, could it be the favourite tag weighed down on them?
“I wouldn't think so,” Mngqithi replied. “We did what we had to do today but unfortunately; we didn't put the ball into the net. And as to what other people say out there, it is not important to me.”
Prior to the start of the season, Mngqithi conceded that they were eager to be a force to be reckoned with in Africa, given that they had dominated the local front for almost a decade.
The club backed the coaching team, signing a host of players, including Bafana Bafana talisman Teboho Mokoena and Bolivian attacker Erwin Saveedra. But after Saturday's defeat, Mngqithi admitted they've failed the club.
“It's very unfortunate to be honest (that we didn't win the Champions League). Based on the investment that club put in, we must take the blame that we didn't take the team to the next round,” Mngqithi, who also cited injuries to key players, said.
Sundowns cannot sulk for the rest of the season. There's still a domestic treble to play for.
Sundowns are two matches away from wrapping up a record fifth league title and in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals where they'll face Royal AM on Saturday.
They've already won the MTN8 crown.
“In football, if you cry over this for too long you are going to miss the next opportunity,” Mngqithi said. “We've a got a 24-hour rule: feel bad, cry if you want but after 24 hours come back.
“We've got a big match on Wednesday (against Cape Town City at home). And if we win the league maybe that can help us to come back stronger and understand who we are. There's also the Nedbank Cup in front of us.”