Mngqithi – plenty more work to do for Sundowns striking star Mailula

Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has warned there is still plenty of room for improvement in 21 year-old striker Cassius Mailula, following his excellent display in Masandawana’s 8-1 Caf Champions League hammering of the Seychelles’ La Passe on Friday.

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Mngqithi spoke afterwards of Mailula netting “three goals” against the part-timers from the island nation, as Sundowns wrapped up a 15-1 aggregate win at Loftus Stadium.

It is unclear whether he officially netted a hat-trick, as his final ‘goal’ hit the woodwork and came off the back of La Passe goalkeeper Dave Mussard before going into the net – this would normally be classified as an own goal.

But there is no doubt Mailula was a bright spark for Sundowns, scoring a superbly inventive flick to put his side 2-1 up and adding another on the stroke of half time.

“Offensively he (Mailula) achieved all our metrics,” said Mngqithi after the match.

“He was always in the right position at the right time. Scoring three goals for a young boy in the Champions League is big, but there are still a lot of question marks over his behaviour upon losing possession. This is an area he can improve on. When we play with a high press it is not good, it is not only him but the collective.

“He is one of the best finishers in the country, we have always known that, but he needs to improve the intensity of his performance on losing possession. But we must be patient and understand that the training regime of the first team is not the same as the junior team in its intensity. He cannot immediately be at our level … we have been very impressed by what he has been offering.”

The win means Sundowns breeze into the Champions League group stages, with the draw set to be held in Egypt in December.

In the meantime, before the break for the 2022 Fifa World Cup, Sundowns can focus on their domestic challenge, with a DStv Premiership home game against Marumo Gallants on Wednesday followed by an MTN8 semifinal, second leg against Orlando Pirates on Saturday.