Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena is confident he can lead the club to the semifinals of the CAF Champions League following their goalless draw away to Young Africans in the first leg. 

Sundowns struggled to assert dominance infront of a packed Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

The Brazilians weathered the storm for much of the game, with Yanga guilty of missing a few good chances.

Despite the lacklustre showing in Tanzania, Rulani has confidently stated his charges will finish the job in the second leg.

“We struggled a little bit with gaining control of the game. We lacked a little bit of compactness and couldn’t really get our foot on the ball to play with a bit more control and dominate the game.

“We lost too many duels and too many second balls. We had to address that at half time. We looked a little bit better in the second half because I think we played a with a little bit more intensity and we tried to go forward but we played against a good team.

“We knew it was going to be difficult regardless of whatever was going to be the scoreline here. We knew that were were going to have to win in Pretoria and that still remains the same,” Rulani told journalists during the post-match conference.

Rulani’s men were without key player Themba Zwane who was serving suspension after picking three yellow cards. Mshishi is set to return for the second leg scheduled to be played at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday.

Rulani admitted his side missed the presence of Mshishi.

“He’s the captain of the team. He’s an important part of the team and of course we missed him a little bit today but everyone tried and I’m happy with the commitment and effort especially in the second half.

“So let’s build on that because it’s not easy coming from a FIFA break. We can play better and use the ball better. Even if we had won, I would still say to you that it is halftime and we have to play better in the second leg and try to win the game.

“I’m sure that we will see Sundowns in the next round. I’m very confident about that but the plan is to recover and prepare for Richards Bay,” Rulani added.

Downs are set to face Richards Bay in a league encounter on Tuesday evening ahead of the second leg showdown with Yanga.

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