Mamelodi Sundowns’ utility player Aubrey Modiba says that the CAF Champions League second star has been eluding them for many seasons, and that it is now the time to bring it back home.
Modiba was speaking ahead of their highly anticipated encounter against dark horses Pyramids FC, who reached the final of the tournament against all odds. Pyramids surprised Orlando Pirates, whom they dominated in the first and second leg matches in the semi-finals. They romped home with a 3-2 aggregate win over the fancied Buccaneers.
Posing a serious threat
Now, they are posing a serious threat to another South African side that is desperate to land a second Champions League gold medal. Sundowns are under no illusion as to the magnitude of the assignment that they are facing against the new kids on the block.
Even though Modiba was not part of coach Pitso Mosimane’s side that won the Champions League in 2016, he played at that level when he turned out for SuperSport United against TP Mazembe in the Confederation Cup final in 2017.
“It has been eluding us for many years, and now we are on the right track. We just have to make sure that we do well in both legs,” said Modiba.
“When we arrived here, we had the mentality to do well in the competition. We have been flirting with the final. And finally we are there, and we want to experience the joy that the guys felt in 2016.
“It will be great for us because we really want to make history for the club. As players, we want to win trophies.
Ready for the Pyramids
“The last final I played in was with SuperSport United in the Confederation Cup. It was our first one, and we didn’t have much experience at that time. I saw how we fell short in that game. And now I have experience because I have played many matches in the competition. We understand what it takes to be able to reach the final and win it,” he added.
“We are expecting a tough game because Pyramids are a good team. They play well, home and away. We just have to apply ourselves well on the day and try to win the match in front of our home supporters.”
The Limpopo-born midfielder says that Pyramids have signed a few good players from the last team that they played against two years ago.
“I think they have gained more experience in the competition. And that is explained by the fact that they are in the final. They are a team that is doing well. Even in their domestic league, they are competing with Al Ahly for the title. They are a team that has evolved a lot, and they are doing well. We are up against a different team that we played against,” Modiba explained further.
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