CAPE TOWN - The depth at Mamelodi Sundowns is simply scary. In Saturday’s MTN8 semi-final first leg clash against Cape Town City at the Cape Town Stadium, coach Pitso Mosimane made nine changes to the team that started against Highlands Park last week, and, still, they looked smooth and comfortable.
City could only manage a 1-0 win over what was ostensibly a Sundowns “second string” team. Yet, and especially in the first half, the Pretoria club was the better side; they passed with confidence and hardly looked like a bunch of bench-warmers.
“It was a good game of football,” said Mosimane. “It was an exciting display between teams who play a good brand of football. I thought we played well, I’m not unhappy. Under the circumstances, especially because it was the first start for a few players, to come here and play a tough game like this against City, was brilliant.
“We have a difficult programme, but I thought we managed it well. We knew it wouldn’t be easy - but it’s the price you pay for being ambitious. We were involved in three different competitions in six days, all with their own different emotions.”
Mosimane is, in fact, quite confident that his team can turn things around in the second leg in Atteridgeville on Sunday. “But all is not lost, we still have a chance in the second leg in Pretoria,” he said. “If you are ambitious, you will have a lot on your plate, and you have to stand up for it. But I’ve seen this movie before and I know how it ends; this is just chapter one.”
G⚽️⚽️D MORNING Masandawana!
Time to block out the noise, it's a BIG week! #Sundowns pic.twitter.com/AzHjSEK0pN
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) August 27, 2018