Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena says their goalless draw against Wydad Casablanca in the CAF Champions League semi-final first-leg "feels emotionally like a victory" after they finished the game with nine men.
Sundowns were reduced to ten men just before the half-time break after Neo Maema was red-carded against holders of the tournament in Casablanca but managed to keep a clean-sheet, even after Marcelo Allende was also dismissed in stoppage time.
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The Brazilians found the back of the net in the first stanza through Peter Shalulile but the goal was ruled out for offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
"I thought before the red-card we were brilliant, we scored, there were moments where we had 65 percent ball possession, I thought we were excellent," Mokwena said in a press conference.
"That's why I have so much praise for the players. It's only half-time. We keep our feet on the ground, we keep our focus on the second-leg in Pretoria.
"We know that we will have the yellow nation behind us. The players are now gaining experience playing these difficult matches. We trust them to be able to continue to be at service and do the best they can," he said.
Mokwena was pleased with the result given the circumstances of playing with a man down for the entire second-half but said he's aware it's only "half-time", with the semi-final tie still on the balance.
"They always do that. They are an honest group of players, so credit to them, a lot of credit to the technical team to prepare for what has been a difficult week," he continued.
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"Congratulations to the football club because of course the result under the circumstances emotionally feels like a victory but I'm the first to say it's only half-time and we have to focus on the difficult second-leg," he added.
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