Africa-Press – Eritrea. The second leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round awaits Mamelodi Sundowns. They will play host to Nigerian side, Remo Stars, on Sunday at Loftus Versfeld.
The second half of the two-legged fixture comes after an emphatic 5-1 victory in Nigeria. Reflecting on a positive start to the CAFCL campaign, defender Grant Kekana stated it wasn’t an easy game, despite the result.
“Remo Stars are a good side. They are very aggressive and were man-marking us throughout the game. They made things very difficult for us, but we had the right attitude and mentality. We played for one another and in the end, our quality showed, and that’s how we were able to get a positive result,” he said.
While the first leg result gives the Brazilians an advantage, Kekana said Bafana Ba Style won’t be resting on their laurels in the second leg. He emphasised that the tie is not over and his side will put the same effort and more to ensure they qualify for the group stages.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves; we haven’t qualified for the group stages yet. The coach has emphasised that whenever we come off a good victory, we tend to drop the ball in the next match. It’s just about understanding what we did well away from home and knowing that we still need to finish the job. It’s only half-time, there’s still another game to be played. We need to stick to our guns and do even better than we did on the road,” the Bafana Bafana international stated.
It’s been ten years since the Pretoria-based side lifted their first Champions League silverware, and the hunger to lift it again still exists, and according to Kekana, they are hoping to get it right this time and win it.
“The Champions League has been a bit of an Achilles heel for us. Usually, we do well up to a certain stage, but when it’s time to go all the way, we fall short. This is a trophy we want the most, especially considering how well we have done in the league. The Champions League is what’s missing from this group. So, we’ll analyse the mistakes of our past shortfalls and aim to improve this season. I believe the hunger and desire are still there,” he concluded.
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