Mamelodi Sundowns defeated La Passe FC 7-0 in their inaugural CAF Champions League match. The Brazilians scored five goals in the first half and two more in the second half to defeat the four-time Seychelles league champions on a memorable afternoon at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday. Downs Co-Coach Rulani Mokwena provided a recap of the victory during a post-match press conference, stating:
“Compliments to the opposition, they were worthy opponents, despite the fact that the score does not accurately reflect their quality relative to the competition. It’s a difficult competition, and you need to be a certain level of team to be able to compete and get something in these types of games, but you’ve seen how even Bafana Bafana struggled against the Seychelles, despite the fact that a majority of their players, including goalkeeper Dave Mussard, [Assad] Aboudou, and Esther Stan, play for Bafana Bafana. A handful of our players are on the [Seychelles] national team, and they’re not an easy team to beat. Therefore, congratulations to our players for a professional effort with a lot of humility, lots of desire to run and make amends, and 30 or so shots on goal today.”
Football is a game that presents several challenges. Today’s test was more psychological than it was tactical or technical, but it happens all over the world. Manchester City had to face Copenhagen, and we all know the disparity between the two teams. As I mentioned earlier, what’s important in football (and perhaps in life) is that you are what you repeatedly do as a human being; you try to ensure that every pass is perfect, every movement is perfect, and that everything we train is applied on the pitch; that’s how we train, and because we train like that, we expect that performance week in and week out.
The 2016 CAF Champions League champions controlled the ball for the majority of the match, and La Passe hardly attacked the home team’s goal. Masandawana have a tremendous advantage coming into the second leg, as they will play both matches at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in front of their fans. Bafana Ba Style strolled through the opponents without a lone striker to demonstrate the quality and depth of their additions. Coach Rulani explained his playing style on the day, saying:
We don’t always intend to play this way, but when we build up the lineup, we look at what we have and what is in the best condition to help us achieve the tactical goals we’ve set, and then we try to set up our team accordingly, taking into account the deficiencies of the opposition. When you have players like Gaston Sirino, Themba Zwane, and Marcelo Allende in your front line, you accommodate individuals that can play many positions.
La Passe advanced to this level of the competition by virtue of a first-round bye and will be looking to produce an upset when they face the Tshwane Giants on Friday for the second round. Coach Rulani is determined to complete a double against the visitors. “We can’t complain about our opponents or the number of rounds we play, but what ultimately matters is how we dedicate ourselves and prepare.”
He continued, “Clearly and definitely, with the ambition that we have and the desire to go very, very far and actually [to] challenge for the Champions League this season, we are going to face even [more] severe and difficult oppositions than this [and] that is when the habits must set in. Habits are formed via games and training, and we continually want to be at this optimal level so that we can give our all on the field.”