Mokwena not giving up on Champions League dream
RULANI Mokwena believes that while Mamelodi Sundowns’ Champions League dream was denied this weekend, it has definitely not died.
The Brazilians coach, though disappointed that his team were knocked out in the semi-finals of the continent’s premier club knockout competition, chose to see the positives from their defeat via the away goal rule by Morocco’s Wydad Athletic Club.
Speaking after the 2-2 draw at Loftus Versfeld, Mokwena said he remains confident that Sundowns will be crowned African champions for a second time.
“I said it before a few months ago that it is not an obsession, it is a dream,” he said.
“How I feel about football and how I see the game is fortunately how this club sees the game, and we will continue with this dream and we will win the Champions League. But it might (will) not be this season of course.
“It might not be next season but we will eventually win it, and we will win it playing the way the club, its supporters, its culture (demands), because if you want to change the style of football then you’ve got to take out a lot of what speaks to this club.”
Hard as he tried to brush the exit – that came about after Sundown threw away the lead on two occasions, with Themba Zwane and Peter Shalulile scoring for them – as part of the game, Mokwena was clearly heartbroken at their failure to reach the final, especially as Sundowns did not lose a single game in the campaign.
“We end having won a lot of hearts but of course not good enough. We have got and try to galvanise ourselves for the next year and go there again.”
He felt they were hard done by inexperience, Sundowns twice going into the lead but gifting it away when parking the bus would have made more sense, particularly as the away-goal rule was in effect.
“That big determining factor was the experience, and you could see it, but that is not something you have to go and buy. That is not something you can get a coach to deal in, that is something the players have got to go through and learn from and for sure next season we will be stronger.”
The South African champions reaching the semi-finals was a sign they were stronger than they have been in the past three seasons and Mokwena thus had reason to give his players a pat on the back.
“I am extremely proud of the guys; proud of the effort; proud that in a very difficult competition we finished unbeaten against some strong opponents. Of course, there’s the element of disappointment which probably overrides my thought processes at the moment.
“Maybe it’s only time that will reveal whether or not we are making the necessary progress to be able to be good enough and maybe reach a level of perfection that is needed to be able to compete and fiercely compete for this competition. But I trust the process.
“I trust this group will be stronger. They will be better next season. They will have more experience and we will go again and try to make this dream a reality.”