Sundowns cannot afford to slip up now, says Onyango

Mamelodi Sundowns are on the verge of qualifying for the Caf Champions League group stages for yet another season but for that to become reality, they need to finish their business with Jwaneng Galaxy, who they face on Tuesday at 4pm.

Sundowns go into the second leg with a 2-0 advantage, through goals scored by the in-form Peter Shalulile and Mothobi Mvala.

Goalkeeper Denis Onyango will be hoping to produce a clean sheet this afternoon and has emphasised the importance of not taking the Botswana-based side lightly.

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“The game against Jwaneng Galaxy seems easy as we won the first leg 2-0 but it is not over, it is still half time for me and the rest of the team. In football, you can never underestimate your opponents,” he told the club’s website.

“We must focus on the game and be professional to win the game so that we can take the team to the next stage which is the group stages. It is almost a done deal for us but we do not disrespect the game. We must play the game with a lot of respect and win our home game and build up to the league game over the weekend,

“It is important to seal off the game and go into the group stages as you don’t want to play in the Confederations Cup. It is not easy to play in the Confederations Cup. We can’t be losing to a team that we managed to beat away from home. We want to get into the Champions League group quickly so that we can focus on the league as we wait for the draw of the Champions League,” Onyango added.

His coach, Rhulani Mokwena echoed his sentiments, suggesting that Jwaneng are “very difficult to play against” and they cannot afford to let their foot off the pedal.

“2-0 is always a dangerous score-line, particularly when you are halfway through and we take it as ’90 minutes’ and this is the second ’45 minutes’ to see us into the group stages. We have got to make sure that we approach the game with the right mentality, character and personality … that has been the most important focus.

“We have got to guard against complacency. Comfort breeds complacency and you don’t want to be in that space where you … approach the game with negligence. You have to be very responsible and diligent, because we carry the responsibility of one of the biggest clubs on the continent, with huge expectations.”

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