Sapula warns Sundowns must beat best to reach Champions League finals

Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies coach Godfrey Sapula says his team will have to overcome the strongest opposition in the COSAFA region if they are to qualify for this year’s CAF Women’s Champions League finals.

Sundowns have reached the semi-finals of the COSAFA qualifiers in Botswana, where they will face hosts and defending champions Gaborone United on Thursday.

Sapula acknowledged Gaborone United’s record and experience but said Sundowns would not allow respect for their opponents to distract them from their own ambitions. His side won all three of their group matches, scoring 15 goals and conceding only once.

“This is a CAF Champions League qualifier in the COSAFA region so it means that you got to beat the best if you want to be the one that is representing the COSAFA region at CAF Champions League,” said Sapula.

Gaborone United carry the advantage of playing on home soil and are the reigning champions of the regional competition. Sapula said Sundowns would approach the match with caution while remaining focused on securing a place in the final.

“We give respect to Gaborone I mean they are the defending champions. It means they also have the pedigree. So we’re going to give respect to them but again we are also driven by our own ambitions and targets as I said.

“We’re going to respect them but we also want to do well and make sure that we give ourselves a chance. We are going to respect them and try to prepare the best way possible, so that we can again try to have a very strong match.”

The South African side’s strength in depth has also been evident during the tournament. In their final group match against Mozambican club Costa Do Sol, Sapula selected an entirely new starting XI but Sundowns still produced a strong performance and claimed maximum points.

He said the team’s preparation had allowed him to rotate the squad effectively, particularly while several players were away representing their countries at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

“I think we give credit to the preparations,” he added.

“We knew that when we had players going to WAFCON, we needed to prepare very well with the other players, so that when we need to refresh the team, we have players that are also ready as what happened today with a new fresh starting 11.

“But the team was still strong, we were able to play strong and get maximum points. But it talks about the team spirit, the unity of players really fighting for each other. The spirit is really good. For us the first objective obviously achieved, which is to win all the three games in the group to move to the next stage. But we take this with humility and we are going to keep our feet on the ground and to make sure that we still prepare for the semi-final because it’s just one part achieved.”

Sundowns’ immediate target is now to get through the semi-final and continue their pursuit of a place in the continental finals. Sapula said the group-stage success had met the team’s first objective, but insisted that the players would remain grounded as they prepared for the decisive match.

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