Mokwena weighs in on draw with Sundowns – ‘If I don’t believe… I shouldn’t be coaching a big team’

Rulani Mokwena’s MC Alger played to a goalless draw with defending Premier Soccer League champions Mamelodi Sundowns on Friday.

Masandawana, who reached the final last year, survived a few scary moments as the People’s Club pushed for a result. However, the spoils were eventually shared in Group C of the annual competition.

The result put the Brazilians at the top of their pool with four points from two matches, the same number of points as second-placed Al Hilal, who also shared the spoils with St Eloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mokwena, who was facing his former team for the first time since leaving, is satisfied with the performance but not the result. He has also commented on the team’s chance of getting out of the group after collecting a point from the opening two matches in their pool.

The situation is a little bit complicated

“It’s not necessarily this result, I think after the performance of [Friday]inside we are happy… but we are a little bit disappointed with the only getting one point,” he told the media.

“But when the draw was done if you had to ask me if I would take 0-0 draw in the second game against Sundowns in this moment that we are in without Ghezala, Bangoura with only two weeks of training, Khelif returning, one week of training with Zougrana if you tell me this and offer me this, I take it then I run home to South Africa fast.

“The situation is a little bit complicated because of results and the performance first half in Rwanda [against Al Hilal SC] not necessarily this performance and this result,” Mokwena added.

“Fortunately, now we take a little break from the Champions League, we have to try and navigate our way.

“If I don’t believe that we can come out of this group then I shouldn’t be coaching a big team. As the head coach I have to give hope, I have to believe that we can go as far as we can in the Champions League. This is your number one responsibility when you coach a big club like Mouloudia,” he concluded.