It’s do or die for embattled Manqoba Mngqithi and his Mamelodi Sundowns as they must go for nothing but a win against Stellenbosch FC if they are to keep their MTN8 title hopes alive.
The two teams compete in the MTN8 semifinal second leg at the Moses Mabhida Stadium today at 3pm.
The Brazilians go into the encounter on the backfoot after their 1-0 defeat by Stellies in Pretoria midweek when defender Fawaaz Basadien converted from the spot.
Defiantly, the Sundowns coach later said his team is still on track despite the loss.
“Sometimes I feel some of the best moments are few and far between, but I do see what we are trying to achieve,” he said.
“I do see the team getting stronger as we progress. I do see the team achieving more than we did last season. I just felt that we did not want to grab control of the game.
“We did not capitalise on the challenges they had in the wide channels.
“I also gather a lot of lessons from matches like this. When you are playing against a team like Stellenbosch, you are often made to see what the PSL is going to look like.”
Stellies produced a solid and fearless performance away from home – a plan that head coach Steve Barker believes was well executed by his players going into the second leg.
“We had to dig deep to come away with a clean sheet. But we go to Durban with a lead and confidence that we executed what we tried to do well,” he said.
Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates beat Cape Town City 2-0 at Orlando Stadium yesterday to advance to the final via a 3-1 aggregate score.
