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Sundowns ready to fight for Caf Champions League title
Esperance stand in their way of place in this season's final.
Khuliso Mudau of Mamelodi Sundowns (Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix)
Mamelodi Sundowns defender Khuliso Mudau believes it will only be fitting that the club wins Caf Champions League after going all the way in the African Football League (AFL) earlier this season.
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The reigning DStv Premiership champions are still in the hunt for their second Champions League title.
The last time the Brazilians soared to such heights was in 2016 when they lifted the coveted club competition.
Esperance stand in their way of place in this season’s final. They will play the Tunisian giants in a two-legged semifinal clash later this month.
“Obviously, we wanted to win the AFL and I think every player was ready mentally to fight. Even when we were playing away at Al-Ahly and Wydad, we were ready to give it our all,” said Mudau who was also part of Bafana Bafana’s team that won a bronze medal at the recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.
“We promised ourselves and the technical team that we want to win the first AFL trophy and it was very important. It’s like the Champions League, it’s very important for us win it.
“Just imagine that I played for Bafana Bafana and won the bronze medal and then I don’t win the Champions League. It doesn’t make sense so it’s important for us to win the Champions League and everyone is ready to fight,” commented the Sundowns defender.
The former Black Leopards right-back reflected on the emotional celebrations that were captured on TV when he embraced his family shortly after lifting the AFL at Loftus Versfeld in November last year.
“I was very emotional because I promised my family that I’m going to win the AFL,” he added.
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“So it was great to win a cup like the AFL. It means a lot because many people played and they didn’t manage to win these kind of cups. So it does mean a lot for me as player and it was a great feeling and I was very emotional.”
Sundowns will first be away to Esperance on April 19 before the return league at home seven days later with winner set to contest the 2024 final against either Ahly or TP Mazembe.
