The African Stars coach has revealed his delight at the job done by the Spanish tactician
African Stars coach Ronnie Kanalelo would be thrilled to put his wits against Jose Riveiro if his team secures passage from the CAF Champions League first preliminary round.
Kanalelo’s men stunned Botswana champions Jwaneng Galaxy 1-0 in the first leg on Saturday, to gain a massive advantage ahead of the second leg, with the winner of the two-legged tie set to take on either Orlando Pirates or Disciplines FC of Madagascar in the second round.
Despite a disappointing goalless draw away to Disciples FC, Pirates are still considered favourites to advance and would take on African Stars if the Namibian side hold onto their slender lead in the second leg, a match Kanalelo feels would be a good test for his young players.
Namibian side keen for bigger continental tests
“It is the first match, it puts a lot of pressure on us and on them [Galaxy] as well going into the second leg so let us take this one, wind down a little bit, and start planning for the second leg,” Kanalelo told SuperSport TV presenter Thomas Mlambo.
“For the development of our players, they need to play against stronger teams, they need to feel what it is like to play a team in the PSL,” he added.
The tactician then went on regarding how Riveiro has transformed the Buccaneers into a strong force that his team would have a difficult task against.
Will African Stars get a dream clash against Pirates?
“Pirates are a well-coached team, if you look at their dynamics, you can see exactly that it is work that started when the coach came in and he is still continuing in bringing in new elements and it will be a good test for our youngsters if we really go into the next stage,” said Kanalelo.
A sixth-minute strike from Willy Stephanus was enough to silence Galaxy, who went into the match as favourites, with the result putting pressure on their South African coach Morena Ramoreboli.
Galaxy eliminated Pirates from the Champions League in the first round last season and the Soweto giants are looking to avenge that defeat this term if both sides overcome their disappointing first leg results.
