WITH their ambitions of defending their Caf Champions League title going up in smoke, Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane will now focus on the Absa Premiership as they hope to qualify for the 2018-19 edition of the African club competition.
The Brazilians suffered an unexpected 3-2 penalties loss to little fancied Wydad Casablanca in Rabat, Morocco, at the weekend to throw the contest wide open.
The second leg of their quarterfinal game ultimately ended in a penalty shoot-out on Saturday after the sides were locked 1-1 on aggregate.
Wydad, USM Alger, Al-Ahly and Étoile du Sahel will now compete for Africa’s biggest club honour, with two-legged semifinals coming up as they battle for a place in the final.
Mosimane put the blame squarely on the Caf referees who officiated in their first leg game against Casablanca at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville a fortnight ago, which Downs won 1-0 via Yannick Zakri’s tap-in.
The coach accused Ethiopian referee Bamlak Tessema Weyesa of having deprived them of opportunities to score when he blew offside on three occasions, even though Downs’ players were clearly onside.
“I regret that game in Pretoria,” said the 53-year-old Mosimane. “It is very sad for football when on three occasions a referee declares offside and it was not so.”
A Moroccan journalist lit Mosimane’s fuse when she said the three bogus offsides were obviously not goals, causing the Kagiso-born coach to hit back: “What is she talking about? We should have been allowed the opportunity to see what could have happened.”
Mosimane said they ended up being nervous during Saturday’s return leg at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat because of the referee and the public, “after my player was clearly pushed to the ground and nothing was done”.
Added the coach: “It got aggressive out there, with no yellow cards issued. My mood also changed, as we were not given chances by the refs.”
In summarising their two quarterfinal legs, Mosimane said: “We lost the game in Pretoria, not here (in Morocco). But we understand. Congratulations to Wydad. We showed that we wanted to play and were not afraid. Unfortunately, with penalties anybody can win.
“Credit to them, they showed they wanted to win in the first 45 minutes.”
But he believes they pressed Wydad very hard in the second half and “we were not scared to lose”.
He added: “We realised they couldn’t take the stress from us. Their stress levels were too much for them, we played in their half and piled on the pressure.”
Mosimane will now ready his troops for war against the troubled Platinum Stars at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday (3pm) as they look to climb up the Premiership table.
