Not having played professional football is one of my disadvantages - Rulani Mokwena

Mokwena was responding to how he kept the team fresh and hungry to perform against Algerian side CR Belouizdad, even though they were leading 4-1 from the first leg of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals. After trailing 1-0 in the first half, Sundowns recovered and won the game 2-1 to seal a 6-2 aggregate victory at Loftus Stadium. 

Mokwena says not having played the game at the highest-level means there are areas of the game where he can’t relate.

"One of my biggest disadvantages is not having played professional football, some of these things I have not lived. So, I have huge expectations but from a psychological perspective I can imagine how difficult it is. I have a reliance on speaking to the players a lot. I have to speak, I have to feel, I have to sense where they are and what they think about the game and try to be emotionally very very sober. So, the feeling I got even in the first half before they scored was we were closer to scoring than they were," he explained.

Sundown's goals came from Themba “Mshishi” Zwane and the North African teams’ slayer Thapelo Morena. Both assists were from Khuliso “Sailor” Mudau. 

Mokwena has also responded to the compliments by CR Belouizdad head coach Nabil Kouki who has been preaching this weekend that Sundowns has been the best team in the Champions League this season and have been well coached.

"We received the compliments with a lot of humility and appreciation coming from a very experienced coach on the continent. But like I always say about the players, it's like being fed honey on a knife and I don't have to go too far back because a couple of weeks ago we lost to Stellies [Stellenbosch FC), and we were the worst team. I was the worst coach and so this is football. In football you have to take the good moments like you take the bad moments," the coach added.

Sundowns have now set up a date against their old nemesis Wydad Casablanca in the semifinals, the first leg will be played on the weekend of 12-13 May and the second leg on the following weekend (19-20 May). There’s been a strong feeling that the Moroccan side have not been at their best this season as they were forced to win via penalties against Simba SC on Friday. And Mokwena says he hasn’t focused much on them either.

"I must be honest; I've only watched them from a spectator's point. To keep abreast with the Champions League so in the group stages I watched, to try to watch all the opponents and try to have a feeling about all the opponents and where the level of the Champions League is."