Supporters’ reaction to mouth-watering action
It’s going to be hard for Sundowns Siya Maloka – Pirates supporter
“Overall, I felt Pirates came with a good strategy to make sure that they keep the ball. When Sundowns had the ball, they did not get excited to press. They made sure that they waited for the right moments. Pirates came with a good strategy. They were just unfortunate not to have won the game, looking at the chances they created. They showed that they have a coach who understands the opponents and understands the strength of his team moving forward. I think (Ndabayithethwa) Ndlondlo had a very good game for someone who was making his debut.
He controlled the midfield and he was the difference in that battle. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a player who calls for the ball and wants the ball at his feet to make the team play and is not afraid to be involved in the play. In some moments, I saw that he would defend and chase and make a tackle. That’s a sign of a very good player and I am not surprised that he won the Man of the Match award. Then you come
to a player like Romeo (Kermit Erasmus) – he showed in the few minutes and chances that he created that he is a man with class. He is a top player and I was not surprised to see the impact. We are still going to see more of him. When you look at the Pirates defence, it’s strong because it’s balanced. They have someone like Maela, who is the captain and is experienced. You have someone
like (Nkosinathi) Sibisi, who has been a captain before and he knows what he is doing. And you have an international player in (Olisa) Ndah, who plays for the national team. You have a solid defence in terms of communication and organisation. Even with the second leg, I feel it’s going to be hard for Sundowns to break that defence.”
I still see us as favourites Neo Molefe – Sundowns supporter
“Everyone was looking forward to the game. I think if you look at the game for footballing reasons, it was a good football match. It was two well-coached sides with two contrasting styles – one team wanting to keep the ball but they couldn’t because Pirates had a very solid defensive block. Sundowns just couldn’t break them down. Pirates were looking to play on the counter. They are a transitional team and I think the Sundowns coaches knew going into that game that they were going up against a transitional team. I think both teams were evenly matched. Even though Sundowns did not have a shot on target, they created moments which lacked the final ball. It’s not concerning. It does not concern me, the fact that Sundowns did not have a shot on target. The coaches have come out to say that we must give the system that they are trying some time and when it comes right, it’s going to look very good. The coaches are in their third season and they have never failed us. I trust them. Knowing Mamelodi Sundowns and how good they are, I think we are slight favourites in this case. Even though we are not playing in Polokwane, I still see us as favourites because we simply have the best team in the country. We have the best players in the country, we have the best coaches in the country and that puts us ahead of everyone on any given day. With Bongani Zungu, I think there is still a long way to go. He has not played football in a while. He has a long way to go before he can start regularly and compete with Andile Jali for a position. In Polokwane, I think Sundowns will win. Sundowns is definitely going to Durban (for the final)”