‘Our fans weren’t happy so we had to push harder,’ said the 18-year-old attacker.
Mamelodi Sundowns youngster Siyabonga Mabena has stressed the importance of returning to winning ways against Durban City following last Wednesday’s away draw to Marumo Gallants.
Sundowns criticism
Sections of the Masandawana fan base had voiced frustration over recent performances, with much of the criticism directed towards head coach Miguel Cardoso.
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The Brazilians delivered the perfect response on Saturday night, brushing aside City with a convincing 3-1 victory at Lucas Moripe Stadium in front of their demanding supporters.
“Everyone was motivated, as I’ve said that after the game that we previously played, our fans weren’t happy so we had to push harder,” the 18-year-old attacker told the club’s media team.
“You could even see in training that everyone was determined. The fan’s support was very important for us because when they cheer for us on the pitch, we get motivated knowing that we’re playing for them so that they can be happy.
“They leave their home where it’s comfortable to watch and support us. I think it’s important that we play well and sometimes in football things don’t go our way, but we try our best all the time.”
Mabena came on in the 75th minute to replace Tashreeq Matthews, with the defending champions already cruising to victory against the KwaZulu-Natal club.
The lively winger believes the result will inject some confidence ahead of clash on Wednesday away to Golden Arrows, a side managed by their former coach Manqoba Mngqithi.
‘Very important’
“The game today was very important after the previous result of the draw we had. It was very important to collect the three points so that we can also gain momentum moving forward,” Mabena concluded.
“We played well as a team, we had a better first half although we had bad moments there and there but we did well as a team to get those goals that proved to be very important for us.”
Sundowns will have to make do without Mabena, who is set to link up with the South African under-20 national team ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
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Amajita open their Group E campaign against France next Monday before taking on New Caledonia and the United States of America.