Mamelodi Sundowns performed quite well in the Fifa Club World Cup despite failing to get past the group stage.
The Premier Soccer League champions started their Group F campaign with a 1-0 win over Ulsan HD, before losing 4-3 against Borussia Dortmund, and later on drew 0-0 with Brazilian outfit Fluminense.
One of the players who did quite well was youngster Kutlwano Letlhaku; the 19-year-old made his debut in the loss against the BVB, before featuring in the final outing with the South American outfit. The U20 Africa Cup of Nations champion has now explained how it felt when coach Miguel Cardoso revealed that he will make his debut.
‘It was a huge thing for me'
“Firstly, I was nervous and I was scared of playing against them, but the coach came to me and told me that he's thinking of putting me in, then, he said I mustn't have pressure, I must just enjoy football. So, I guess that made me feel calm, and I played my football,” he told the media.
“Dortmund is a very big team in the world, so playing against them was a huge thing for me, and one thing happened that when I went in, I went straight to Sule [Niklas] then I was like, this guy is huge. So, that thing made me feel like I have to work hard to be here. So, getting that assist was just a cherry on top of the cake, so I must just be grateful.
“[Cardoso] just said maybe I can give him something so he trusts me then he said Themba [Zwane] is a little bit tired, so maybe I can go in and help the team. Even after the game I was grateful to him, I just went to him and hugged him for giving me this opportunity,” Letlhaku concluded.
