It is safe to say that Mamelodi Sundowns walked off the happier of the two teams as coach Rulani Mokwena revelled in delight following their dramatic 1-1 draw against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday.
Khuliso Mudau silenced FNB Stadium with a 93rd-minute equaliser in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final between Amakhosi and the Brazilians.
The defender leapt highest on the back post in stoppage-time to get the all-important away goal and cancel out Edson Castillo’s opener.
The visitors dominated proceedings as expected but struggled to break down a Chiefs side determined to keep a clean sheet.
Against the run of play, the hosts took a surprising lead in the second half and it seemed as if they had done enough to secure their first win over Sundowns since 2021.
However, the Brazilians showed resilience and tactical experience as second-half substitute Junior Mendieta set up Mudau.
Sundowns mentor Mokwena praised his side for their gutsy display but also expressed how their stalemate against Chiefs felt like a triumph.
“This feels like a victory – 71% ball possession against a team like Kaizer Chiefs at FNB is not easy but we did very well today. We deserved to win but at the very least, we didn’t deserve to lose,” he told the media.
The Brazilians probed for the entire duration of an intense battle, even after losing their star man and captain Themba Zwane, who was stretched off in the opening stanza.
Chiefs had to thank goalkeeper Brandon Petersen on several occasions as he made five saves as Sundowns fired in 20 attempts on goal.
Although delighted at not losing the match, which would have been his second loss since he took over as the Sundowns head coach, Mokwena remained wary of rejoicing a draw.
“I have to be careful because I can’t be a Sundowns coach and celebrate draws. I will get into big trouble,” he said.
“There is a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation, for sure – maybe not for the scoreline but the performance in its entirety and for the process of showing desire and wanting to win every match.
“I think that’s still very important for us as a club and us as a team and big congratulations and big appreciation for that.”
IOL Sport