Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi was pleased with his side’s performance against Al Hilal and believes the game panned out the way they expected.

The Brazilians got their Caf Champions League group-stage campaign off to a flying start with a 2-0 victory over Al Hilal at Loftus Versfeld Stadium this past Saturday.

Goals from Mosa Lebusa and Kermit Erasmus guided Masandawana to the top of Group B with three points after the first game of the group stages.

Mngqithi shared his thoughts on the team’s overall performance against the Sudanese side:

‘We managed to achieve what we planned organisationally as we did not want them to play in our half, because aerially they are very strong and we could see that every time they got a set piece,’ Mngqithi told his club’s official website.

‘I also think that after we scored the goal we took our foot off the pedal and they started coming at us with a lot of throw-ins and corner kicks.

‘This is a very strong team and has an awkward way of playing. Overall the game panned out the way we expected.’

Mngqithi is aware that his side squandered many chances in the final third, admitting they were not clinical enough in front of goal.

‘We have been complaining about the team not being shrewd enough.

‘If you look at the game against Chippa United, we scored two but we could have scored eight; in the Stellenbosch game also we could have scored more.

‘We have not been clinical but if you look at our goal ratio it is not bad. We don’t always take our chances and we don’t want to put stress and anxiety on the players. It is a very sensitive area to touch but we are happy,’ he concluded.