Williams sends strong warning to Sundowns critics

Buoyed by their qualification to the semifinals of the CAF Champions League for the third consecutive year, Mamelodi Sundowns captain Ronwen Williams has sent a warning to their detractors.

Sundowns two games away from final

The Brazilians are just two games away from reaching the final of the Champions League for the first time since 2016. They will face the mighty Al-Ahly in another two-legged tie later this month to determine who will contest the final.

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It has been a challenging season for Sundowns, following their defeat in the Carling Knockout final, which ultimately led to the sacking of coach Manqoba Mngqithi and the appointment of Miguel Cardoso as his replacement last December.

“This is massive for the club and for the country to be where we are now. Many people doubted us, but I said it from the beginning that you doubt this team at your own expense,” said a fired up Williams. 

“That is because I see the work that they do on a daily basis. I’m just proud to be part of this team and just to see the character of how the boys are willing to learn, grow and to fight because we never had this fight (before). That’s what I love and you could see on the field and that’s what will push us all the way.”

Sundowns had to show character to get past Espérance in the quarterfinals. Despite playing to a goalless draw in Tunisia on Tuesday, the 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture was enough to secure passage to the last four on aggregate.

‘Up there with the best’

“It’s amazing and this one is up there with the best just because of the desire and the character of the team to dig deep because it’s not easy coming here,” added Williams.

“We knew it was going to be a fight and we knew they would come out guns blazing, but we stood firm and hardly gave them a sniff. Praise must go to the technical team for the game plan and the players for standing up and showing character,” Williams said after the hard-fought match in Tunis. 

“When we beat them at home, we changed the history of the club as we had not beaten them before. When we beat them, I had a feeling that this year it’s ours. Obviously, the coach played an important role because he knows them so he gave us all the insights on how they were going to play and what they were going to do. 

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“We knew the threats and their weaknesses and we also knew that it was going to be a game of small margins and that’s exactly how it was. We want to grow as a team, I think they had two chances in both legs last year and they went all the way to the final. This year, we had two chances and took one and sometimes that’s all it takes.”