Mamelodi Sundowns earned glowing praise from Petro de Luanda's head coach after the South African giants defeated his side at the quarter-final stage of the African Football League on Tuesday.
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The Angolan giants faced an uphill task on Tuesday as they attempted to come from behind after suffering a 2-0 loss at home to Rulani Mokwena's side in the first leg to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Despite Sundowns going down to 10 men just two minutes into the encounter when Mothobi Mvala was sent off, the South African champions maintained their composure as they secured their spot in the final four following a 0-0 draw.
Speaking after the game, Petro manager Alexandre Santos praised his opposition, admitting that Masandawana were far superior to his team.
"They were clearly the best team in this quarter-final challenge," he said, according to the African Football League's official website.
"They scored two goals and we didn't score any. It shows the quality of the team we were up against.
"It looked like it would be an easy game after they were reduced to ten men but it was not like that.
"They showed great mental strength and kept all spaces. They were not afraid to play and even at some point controlled certain points of the game.
"In the last seven minutes, we asserted some pressure on them and knew that scoring a goal would disturb them.
"Unfortunately, we are out and we did not proceed. I am, however, proud of my players. They proved they are a good team and we did our best."
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