Mamelodi Sundowns Senior Coach Steve Komphela has shared his thoughts following his side’s draw with the English Championship side Cardiff City in the pre-season friendly.
Cardiff were ahead for a significant portion of the second half but Masandawana managed to salvage a 1-1 draw thanks to a late goal from Tashreeq Matthews.
However, they have yet to secure a victory in their European tour, having suffered losses in their past games with scores of 1-0 against SV Saundhausen and 2-1 against Dynamo Kyiv.
Komphela remains positive despite missing out on a win, finding takeaways from the match against the Welsh outfit.
Komphela praised his team's handling of the physical challenges and set-pieces throughout the match, believing it will benefit their readiness for all competitions next season.
HOW SUNDOWNS TECHNICAL FELT ABOUT PERFORMANCE AND RESULTS FROM CARDIFF CITY FRIENDLY
“In all practice matches or friendly matches in pre-season, there are two things you look at. It’s the performances and also the results. From a results point of view, Sundowns will never wish to draw a match,” said Komphela as quoted by The Citizen.
“We’re just a machine engineered to win but there are a lot of challenges in the fact that Cardiff City will always give you crosses, balls in the air and also give you problems in terms of set-play and you have to be organised which I thought we dealt with.
“Another plus is that there were also physical which takes you to another physical level in terms of your overall preparations and the objectives you’d say that in terms of you moving forward. For sure, you will see a lot of baby steps and blocks that you put as a stepping stone towards what you wish to achieve.”
SUNDOWNS UPCOMING PRE-SEASON FIXTURES
- Friday, 26 July – 11:00 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Al Arabi SC
- Friday, 26 July – 16:00 – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Al Hilal
