Mamelodi Sundowns have come through a grueling Caf Champions League experience in the first-leg of the quarter-finals away to Tanzanian giants Young Africans over the weekend.
It has never been easy for visiting teams in continental matches anywhere in Africa, and the Brazilians are experienced campaigners for years now. Club legend Hlompho Kekana, who has done it all before including hoisting the CAFCL trophy, believes Sundowns are accustomed to these off-field challenges.
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The Brazilians drew 0-0 against Yanga and will host them in the return leg in South Africa on Friday.
“I think you must love this pain of suffering and having to play in difficult conditions, but when I look at these Sundowns boys, they are now loving this pain. It’s part of them,” Kekana told the Pitch-side podcast.
The respected legend, who skippered Masandawana to their only continental crown to date in 2016, backs the current outfit to continue grinding under adverse conditions.
“It’s no longer something that happens now and again, it happens all the time. So, for them it’s a matter of sustaining this thing, living through this thing and make sure that through these difficulties they keep winning football matches.
“And that will give you a reason to celebrate after everything because you know that you didn’t get it easier,” Kekana said.
Since Masandawana were held to a goalless draw by Yanga in the first-leg, many fans are concerned that the result might come back to haunt them, being without an away goal.
Though, Kekana is positive that the South African club did the job in Dar es-Salaam and also reflects on how he is personally not missing these away trips.
“I don’t miss this life of the boys travelling, but it’s a fun life when you learn a lot of things. They always say that life is on the streets. This is the streets for them.
“Because a lot of these you’re never expose to, you get exposed to. For instance, the match of Yanga was challenging and I say challenging because you are playing a lot of things in that stadium and of course it wasn’t easy for them to enter the stadium. Let’s start there,” Kekana said.
“This is because people are happy to see Mamelodi Sundowns and I’m sure the traffic was insane and that plays into your head as a player because then you’re prepared for this amount of time to go to the stadium, but I loved it because the boys did the business for us,” he added.
Even before the return leg, the South African champions first have to meet up with Richards Bay in the DStv Premiership on Tuesday night. It is a taxing schedule for Sundowns who will have just a few days to recover for their massive last eight encounter against Yanga.
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