Dolly puts Downs on the back burner

Percy Tau celebrates his goal with with Keagan Dolly of Mamelodi Sundowns during the CAF Champions League match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Zamalek at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa on July 27, 2016 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Percy Tau celebrates his goal with with Keagan Dolly of Mamelodi Sundowns during the CAF Champions League match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Zamalek at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa on July 27, 2016 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Published Jul 29, 2016

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Johannesburg - The brief from Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane to his players was pretty simple when the club entered the group stage of the CAF Champions League via the backdoor, replacing AS Vita, who were kicked out for fielding a suspended player: 'Go out there and have fun.'

Now the Brazilians are the ones opening the front door for the other semi-finalists after they became the first club to book a place in the last four thanks to their 100% record.

It’s a massive transformation from a side that failed to make it to the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup in May after their demotion from the Champions League, to being one of the four best clubs in the continent two months later.

“I think back then we used to focus on the opponents more than enjoying ourselves,” said Sundowns midfielder Keagan Dolly.

“Now we are enjoying ourselves. We keep the ball. We don’t sit back. We don’t respect our opponents. We really go at them, which is why things have been going well for us.”

That approach helped the Brazilians record a double over Egyptian giants Zamalek, results that led to their coach Mohamed Helmi quitting his job. When that announcement came on Thursday, Dolly was on his way to Brazil where he will be looking to inspire the national Under-23 team in the Olympics just like he did the Brazilians in the Champions League.

The 23-year-old has spent this past year constantly travelling, with limited rest as he juggles representing country and club without complaint.

The workload excites the lad from Westbury because the two commitments have been mutually beneficial.

The Under-23s helped him find his mojo a year ago when he joined them at the start of the Olympics qualifiers against Zimbabwe in July. His performances there helped him secure a place in a star-studded Sundowns team where he has grown by playing in the Champions League. While he handles the workload well, Dolly is honest about his shortcomings - which are getting less with each passing day.

“In Senegal (with the Under-23s in the Olympics qualifiers) I was thinking of carrying the team, that was my mistake,” Dolly said. “I didn’t enjoy myself. I was working more for the team because the armband comes with its own pressure. So I will be happy if (Itumeleng) Khune or someone else gets it so that I can focus on my game.”

Dolly believes that the inclusion of Khune and Mulomawandau Mathoho, as the over-age players, will help the team in the set-pieces. The last time Dolly was with the Under-23s, in March to play a friendly against Brazil in Maceio, they struggled with dead-ball situations. They conceded their first two goals in the 3-1 loss through set-pieces. They will show if they have learnt from that when they take on Brazil in their capital Brasilia on Thursday in the start of their Olympics campaign.

Khune and Mathoho will arrive a day before that match after playing in tomorrow’s Carling Black Label Cup, makingthem doubtful starters. But they were in camp last week, unlike Dolly.

“I've missed out on a few camps with the Under-23s,” he said. “I feel like I am quite behind with the preparations but I feel good to be joining the team with a few more days to go before the Olympics. I join the team in confident mood after helping my club qualify for the semifinals of the Champions League.”

The Star

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