Santos praises Sundowns quality but backs FAR Rabat comeback in Morocco

FAR Rabat left Pretoria frustrated by defeat but convinced the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League final remains far from over after coach Alexandre Santos and defender Yunis Abdelhamid both insisted the Moroccan side still have the belief to overturn the tie at home.

A spectacular Aubrey Modiba free-kick handed Mamelodi Sundowns a narrow 1-0 victory in Sunday’s first leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, but FAR Rabat emerged from South Africa determined rather than defeated ahead of the decisive return leg in Rabat next weekend.

While Sundowns celebrated a precious advantage, the reaction from the Moroccan camp reflected a team convinced they are still firmly alive in the battle for African club football’s biggest prize.

“It was tough, very tough and the first half was more than we wanted to close the space, Sundowns is very strong, we did very well,” Santos said after the match.

The Portuguese coach acknowledged the quality of the South African side, who dominated possession for large periods and threatened repeatedly through their quick attacking transitions and dangerous set-pieces.

Yet Santos also believed his side executed large parts of their tactical plan effectively.

“We get the ball a lot of times and we made our counter-attacks and transitions very well, we could make better and maybe if we made better the second half was easy,” he explained.

The decisive moment came in the 37th minute when Modiba produced a thunderous free-kick that flew into the net despite the FAR goalkeeper getting fingertips to the effort.

For Santos, the goal was more a reflection of individual brilliance than defensive failure.

“But when we conceded one goal as we conceded was not our fault but it’s the great ability of the player of Sundowns,” he said.

The coach admitted Sundowns’ attacking quality makes them one of the continent’s most dangerous sides whenever space is left open.

“It’s very difficult and Sundowns when get space it’s one of the amazing teams of this continent,” Santos added.

Despite the pressure from the hosts, FAR Rabat managed to keep the deficit to a single goal — an outcome Santos believes leaves the tie balanced heading into the second leg at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

“We keep our result to 1-0, we try, we try to but in the end the most important thing is we go to our home to go to confident to get the other result and to make the goal to make title and fight until the end that’s our intention,” he said.

Veteran defender Yunis Abdelhamid echoed his coach’s determination, even while admitting the result was below expectations.

“This was not the result we were expecting, we were hoping for better,” Abdelhamid said.

The experienced centre-back pointed to missed opportunities during the opening half as a key turning point in the contest.

“I think we missed our chance in the first half, as we had some opportunities to score through simple crosses, but they were not in our favor,” he explained.

Abdelhamid also felt Sundowns were not overwhelmingly dominant in open play despite their territorial control.

“After that, the match was difficult, it's a final and it's normal for it to be so,” he said. “I think that despite having possession, they weren't very dangerous, except for set pieces, and unfortunately they also scored from a set piece.”

FAR Rabat now return home knowing they must overturn the deficit against a Sundowns side chasing a second Champions League crown after their triumph in 2016.

But the Moroccan side have already shown resilience throughout their run to the final, eliminating defending champions Pyramids and fellow North Africans RS Berkane on their path to the title decider.

And Abdelhamid insists the team remains fully focused on completing another comeback in front of their supporters.

“Now there is one last match, the second leg at our home ground,” he said. “We will do everything we can to put pressure on them and turn the result around.”