Santos admits frustration as AS FAR Rabat fall short against Sundowns in Champions League final first leg

AS FAR Rabat head coach Alexandre Santos has described his side’s CAF Champions League final first-leg encounter with Mamelodi Sundowns as “very tough,” after the Moroccan club slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat.

Sundowns edged the contest courtesy of a moment of quality that Santos conceded proved decisive, as Aubrey Modiba’s strike separated the two sides in a tightly contested affair.

Reflecting on the match, the Portuguese tactician acknowledged his team’s disciplined defensive approach and their ability to create transition opportunities, but admitted they fell short in key moments that could have changed the outcome.

“It was tough, very tough, and the first half was more than we wanted to close the space. Sundowns are very strong; we did very well. We get the ball a lot of times, and we made our counterattacks and transitions very well. We could make better and maybe if we made better, the second half was easy,” Santos told SuperSport after the game.

He also conceded that the decisive goal came from individual brilliance rather than structural errors, noting that Sundowns’ quality in tight situations made the difference on the night.

“But when we conceded one goal, as we conceded was not our fault, but it’s the great ability of the player of Sundowns was difficult to control our intention to make more, but when we want to make more, we leave space to players like Sundowns.

Despite the defeat, Santos insisted the tie remains open heading into the second leg, expressing belief that his side can respond at home and mount a comeback in front of their supporters in the return fixture.

“It’s very difficult and Sundowns when get space it’s one of the amazing teams of this continent and we keep our result to 1-0, we try, we try to but in the end the most important thing is we go to our home to go to confident to get the other result and to make the goal to make title and fight until the end that’s our intention.”

The result leaves AS FAR Rabat with work to do, but still firmly in contention as the final shifts to Morocco for a decisive second leg.