We did our homework – Pitso Mosimane

The Brazilians edged past the Ethiopian team 1-0 in Addis Ababa to reach the quarterfinals of the Caf Champions League.

Anthony Laffor struck the lone goal of the game four minutes from the final whistle. The result saw Sundowns book a quarterfinal place alongside Group C leaders Esperance, who drew 2-2 with AS Vita in Kinshasa.

“We knew in order to qualify, we had to win. They opened up a bit in the second interval by putting more people upfront, and that gave us the control of the midfield.

“A little bit of experience also helped our cause. Since they [Saint George] have not been in the Caf Champions League group stages, experience-wise, we were superior. We know they often play long balls to the lone striker, Salahdin Said, so we had to stop that. If you stopped that you have stopped about 60 percent chance of conceding a goal.

“We did our homework, and it paid off eventually. Denis [Onyango] saved a penalty. Experienced players like Denis’ calibre often save their team in difficult situations.”

Saint George assistant coach Fasil Tekalegn blamed his team’s poor finish for the loss.

“We wanted to play more offensive after the interval so we brought on attack-minded players. We will take all the responsibility of today’s tie. When we brought on attack-minded players, the midfield was wide open and made it easy for vulnerability. We had so many goal-scoring chances, and we even failed to convert a spot kick,” Tekalegn said.

“I don’t want to blame the missed penalty for our loss, but we could have won if we had executed the opportunities we had. They came here to get a draw, and at the closing stages of the game our boys were nervous due to the tense situation. We did everything we believed in; nonetheless, we failed to achieve what we were seeking.”