Following Wiliete SC's historic elimination of Mamelodi Sundowns from the CAF Champions League and advancement to the group stage, coach Beto Bianchi lauded his team for their defensive discipline.

Wiliete advanced to the next round based on away goals following a 1-1 draw with Sundowns in Friday night's second leg at Loftus Versfeld. The first leg took place in Lubango without a goal. Since Sundowns were the defending African champions and heavy favourites to advance to the next round going into the second leg, the outcome was a huge shock.

In the eleventh minute, Sundowns grabbed the lead with a goal by Tashreeq Matthews. Nevertheless, Wiliete got back on the scoreboard after the interval via Cristóvão "Mabululu" Paciência, who scored in the 48th minute after Cassius Mailula made a defensive mistake.

Despite having much of the game under their control, Sundowns were unable to score a goal and were so eliminated. Despite taking 18 shots to Wiliete's six, the South Africans maintained their discipline and held on for the win.

Despite facing a club renowned for its offensive prowess and possession dominance, Bianchi was proud of his players for sticking to their game plan. Even though Sundowns were heavy favourites to win the match at home, he thought Wiliete did a good job defending in the corner.

Even the coach had to admit that his squad was under a lot of strain the whole game. But he was ecstatic that his team took advantage of the situation and advanced to the next round.

The win is a huge boost for Wiliete, who set a goal for the season to make it to the group stage of the CAF Champions League. In order to do it, Bianchi had already said that Sundowns have to be eliminated.

The loss puts a damper on Sundowns' continental campaign. For the first time in eleven seasons, the club did not go beyond the group stage, ending their defence of the African championship prematurely.

Tlhopie Motsepe, chairman of the board of directors of Mamelodi Sundowns, has spoken out about the club's regret at being eliminated from the CAF Champions League.

Motsepe said that coach Miguel Cardoso is now under pressure to redeem himself by winning the CAF Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup after the team's early elimination from the continental tournament. In order to win back the club's trust and satisfy its expectations, the chairman emphasised winning cutlery.

Cardoso is now under intense pressure to ensure that Sundowns do well in their next matches. The squad would be able to get over the setback and live up to the expectations of the club's management and fans if they won titles.

It had been reported that Bianchi and Sundowns assistant coach Steve Komphela got into an argument after the first match, which added drama to the buildup to the second leg. The incident escalated tensions even more before the return match, when Bianchi was allegedly whisked away in an ambulance.

The attention has returned to the football, however, thanks to Wiliete's remarkable accomplishment. While Bianchi and his team may revel in a historic qualifying, Sundowns will need to collect themselves and focus on what's left to do this season.

Source: IDiskiTimes

https://www.idiskitimes.co.za/caf-champions-league/cardoso-it-was-a-big-punch-in-our-faces/