Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and coach Rulani Mokwena have stressed the importance of not conceding a goal against Esperance, with the away goal rule in play.
Sundowns will lock horns against the Tunisian giants in what will be an all-important CAF Champions League semi-final second leg clash. The match takes place at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Friday night.
Kick-off time is at 8pm.
Masandawana go into the encounter trailing 1-0 after losing the first leg at the Capital Stadium in Tunisia last week Saturday.
Going in with similar predicament
Mokwena and his side find themselves in a similar predicament as last season, when they reached the semifinals of the Champions League but went into the second leg without that all-important away goal.
Despite that fact, Williams said the team will instead draw inspiration from their African Football League (AFL) success. This is where they managed to keep a clean sheet at home in the second leg.
“We draw inspiration from the AFL final [in the 2-0 win against Wydad Casablanca], we went away and lost. But, in that game, it was a bit different because we had an away goal,” Williams told the media during a press conference at Loftus on Thursday.
Focused on winning the game
“But again, we draw inspiration from the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona, and PSG. To just go out there to win the game. There are two important things for us going into this game. That is to not concede, and I don’t think we concede a lot of goals at home.
“In the AFL we played six games and had five clean sheets. In the Champions League, we also don’t concede a lot of goals at home.
“So, that will be the motivation not concede and, knowing our team, we score at Loftus, and that is the energy we lean towards. That we don’t concede a lot and got goals when playing at home.”
Mokwena said he encourages his players to go for it and not be afraid of whatever outcome. This after he had vocalised some of the lessons learnt from the Champions League. One of them being the importance of the away goal rule.
“One of the things I always say to the players is that the automatic response of a human being is safety. For an example, I love dogs, but when I see a Rottweiler, the first instinct is that I must run,” he responded to a question by Sunday World.
Getting closer to the ultimate prize
“So even with footballers, the reaction of the body and the mind is to say ‘don’t lose it’. This is the first instinct when you get into situations where you are playing games of consequence and getting closer to winning competitions. That is the mentality, whether it is controlled or not.
“But we are sitting in a position where we are getting closer and closer to the ultimate prize. And I always encourage them to go for it. The only way to get to the finish line is to go for it. Take the handbrake down and play with little fear.
“If we lose, it’s okay, because football is about winning and losing.”
