Mamelodi Sundowns winger Keagan Dolly wants his name etched in the annals of African football.
That can only happen if Dolly and his teammates beat Zesco United, whom they host in the second leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville today (7pm).
If the Brazilians succeed in overcoming Zesco, who lead from the first leg following their 2-1 win in Ndola last weekend, then Dolly will be two matches away from getting his name mentioned in the same breath as Mohammed Aboutrika, Tresor Mputu, Robert Kadiaba, Mark Fish, Edward Motale and a host of other CAF Champions League winners.
“It’s an opportunity for us to go down in the history books,” said Dolly.
“I think its all up to us. I think we have the quality to move from the semi-finals to the final.
“This is a huge opportunity for us to showcase to the world what we have in South Africa.
“In the past years it's been (Orlando) Pirates playing in the Champions League and Confederation Cup. I think we deserve to be where we are. We worked hard for it.”
Much will be required from Dolly in attack as Sundowns will be under pressure to score to overturn Zesco’s lead.
If Sundowns score one goal without conceding, they will be through to the final, where they are likely to meet Egyptian giants Zamalek.
“We enjoy the pressure. We enjoy dominating every competition we play in,” said Dolly.
“However, for us it’s more about the process than the end product. If we take care of the performance, it will deliver the end product.
“We put ourselves under pressure but we're dealing well with it. We are focused on our game against Zesco.”
Part of the strategy Zesco applied in the first leg was to minimise the influence of Dolly and Khama Billiat. The trickery and pace of the duo has been the source of goals for coach Pitso Mosimane’s men at both the domestic and continental front.
In Ndola, the Zambians managed to keep them at bay for the better part of the match except for the final three minutes when Billiat scored a brilliant goal after Jackson Mwanza’s earlier double.
Though one goal will be enough for the PSL champions, Dolly said they will be relentless in their pursuit for goals to advance to the final.
“With the pace and energy we have here, we stand a good chance,” said Dolly.
Sundowns clashed with Zesco four times before, thrice in friendlies and once in a competitive match, and Dolly is adamant Sundowns can get a positive result tonight.
“Zesco are not a closed book. We played them a few times. We know what they are about. We respect them.
“They are a good team. They are good on the ball but we also had chances against Zesco. We could have scored. We lost a bit of concentration with the two goals.
“With a good pitch at home and our people behind us, we will overcome the challenge,” said the man who captained South Africa at the Rio Olympics.
“We are 2-1 down but we have an away goal. If we score one goal, we know that we are okay.
“We have to keep our defensive shape and focus on discipline.”
Saturday Star