Photo Courtesy Sundowns Media.
Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has admitted that their qualification to the next stage of the Caf Champions League was not smooth as the previous campaigns.
The Brazilians advanced to the knockout stages of the lucrative competition following a 1-1 draw against AS FAR Rabat at Loftus Versfeld last Sunday. They ended Group B in second position with nine matches, one less group leaders AS FAR.
Sundowns won two matches, drew three and lost one. But according to the Bafana Bafana custodian, the qualification campaign was not easy for the South African Premier League champions.
“It was very strange, we at Mamelodi Sundowns we’re accustomed to winning all the games and cruising nicely but this campaign things have been different for us,” Williams told Thabiso Mosia on Radio2000.
“Our previous coach, coach Manqoba said maybe it was a good thing cause the last few years we were cruising; we were the favourites to win it, we would always have a clean perfect group stage campaign but then fall short in the quarter-final, sometimes maybe in the semi-final. So maybe this time things will work in our favour.”
He continued: “If you look at the history of Al Ahly SC, you look at the history of Real Madrid they never had a perfect group-stage campaign but they always went all the way.
“And when Mamelodi Sundowns won it if I’m not mistaken, I think it was in 2016, they were actually out and they got reinstated and they went all the way to win it so hopefully things can go that way for us.”
Sundowns returned to league action on Wednesday where they managed to come from behind at the break to beat Magesi FC 2-1 at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, and extend their lead on the Betway Premiership table.
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