Johannesburg - Following his absence from training, Mamelodi Sundowns’ co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has lauded his peer Rulani Mokwena after he led the team to a 4-0 Nedbank Cup win over Richards Bay, at the Princes Magogo Stadium, on Friday evening.
After finishing the first half of the season on a high note as they are at the top of the Premiership standings with 44 points, 14 ahead of the second-placed Orlando Pirates, Sundowns kept up their momentum in the cup competiton.
Sundowns progressed to the last 16 of the tournament – thanks to goals from new signing Surprise Ralani, Rushine De Reuck, Pavol Sefranko and Peter Shalulile.
However, late into the hiatus in January, Mngqithi and senior coach Steve Komphela missed their final preparations. The former was the technical director in the Compact Cup, while Komphela had a family bereavement in Free State.
Bafana Ba Style went to KZN to get the job done in the #NedbankCup! 💪
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) February 5, 2022
4️⃣ super goals to book our spot in the next round!#Sundowns pic.twitter.com/AehZDLrmNp
Mokwena was the only coach that had his hands on deck, juggling between training the team and being a pundit for pay-channel SuperSport TV during the Africa Cup of Nations showpiece which is set to come to a close on Sunday in Yaounde, Cameroon.
Speaking after their win over ‘The Natal Rich Boys’, who’ve been giant slayers in the Nedbank Cup before, Mngqithi told SuperSport: “We must also commend all our coaches” as their preparations led them to a comfortable win in KwaMashu.
“Credit must also go to coach Rulani. We were in the Compact, and coach Steve had to go home because he was bereaved. He remained with the team alone and worked with the entire group. He really did a good job.”
The work that was done by Sundowns’ technical team last month was also visible in the smooth adaptation of their new signings. Ralani scored the opener on debut, while Teboho Mokoena made an impressive cameo in the second half.
ALSO READ: Nedbank Cup sees first shock as AmaTuks down Chippa United
“We know what he (Ralani) can offer. We told people what we thought he’s capable of. The quality that he has is unmatched - sometimes. Technically, he’s very good and he makes few mistakes,” Mngqithi raved about Ralani’s qualities.
“He understands the game well. He fits our style of play because the position that he plays is the same position that ‘Mshishi’ (Themba Zwane), (Thabiso) Kutumela and Neo (Maema) play. And Cape Town City are not playing away from us.
“They are playing almost the same type of football as we do. He understands what we want from him. But I believed today he could have a brace if he took an extra touch on the first chance. But we were happy that he smashed the second one.”