Dladla urges Golden Arrows to build on MTN8 progress after Sundowns heartbreak

Pitso Dladla believes Lamontville Golden Arrows can use their narrow MTN8 semi-final defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns as a foundation for further progress, despite seeing their hopes of reaching the final ended on the away-goals rule.

Golden Arrows beat Sundowns 3-2 in the second leg on Sunday, but the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate. The result sent the Brazilians through to a final meeting with Orlando Pirates because they had scored more away goals across the two matches.

Junior Dion scored against Mamelodi Sundowns for the second consecutive game, but his contribution was not enough to carry the KwaZulu-Natal side into the final.

Dladla was disappointed by the outcome, yet felt his team had followed a clear tactical approach and competed effectively against the African champions.

“I thought we played very well,” he said. “We played according to the tactical plan that we agreed with the players. We also knew that we were not going to match Mamelodi Sundowns in terms of possession, but we made them play in areas that we believe they were not going to hurt us.”

The plan allowed Golden Arrows to frustrate Sundowns for long periods, while also giving them opportunities to threaten on the counter-attack. The home side led twice during the match and showed enough attacking quality to trouble one of the strongest teams on the continent.

“We also did some good passes when we were in possession. We also created some chances,” Dladla said.

However, Golden Arrows were left to rue goals they believed could have been prevented, particularly after producing a disciplined performance for much of the contest.

Marcelo Allende’s goal in the 77th minute put Sundowns 2-1 ahead and changed the context of the tie. With the aggregate score level, that goal gave Sundowns the advantage under the away-goals rule.

“We were under pressure because as soon as they scored the second goal, we knew that the away-goal rule favoured them,” he said.

Despite the setback, Dladla praised his players for continuing to fight rather than allowing the situation to decide the match.

“They never gave up. They kept going. That’s their goal,” he said.

The defeat was especially painful for Golden Arrows because they had matched Sundowns over two legs, only to miss out on a place in the MTN8 final by the narrowest of margins. Their wait to reach the final for the first time since 2009 will therefore continue.

“It feels bad, but what can you do? It’s one of the things of the tournament,” Dladla said. “The final score was 3-all, but the away-goal rule is the difference. That’s why one feels sorry for the players, not just for such a performance against any team, but against the African champions.

“We can only learn and grow from this performance.”

Dladla also pointed to the club’s wider development programme as evidence that the performance was not an isolated achievement. He said the way Golden Arrows played against Sundowns reflected the work being done on the training ground.

“We are proud of these boys,” he said. “What you see here on match day is what we do every day in training. How you play is how you train.”

Golden Arrows will have little time to recover from the disappointment. They face Sundowns again next Sunday, when the Brazilians return to King Zwelithini Stadium for a Betway Premiership fixture.