Rulani Cites Klopp Advice After Downs Defeat

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has revealed what Jurgen Klopp once told him in reaction to his side’s 2-1 defeat at Petro de Luanda in Angola.

Masandawana suffered a 2-1 loss in their CAF Champions League quarter-final first leg – their first defeat in this year’s competition.

However, they scored the important away goal, with the away-goals rule still intact in the Champions League and Mokwena cited Klopp’s advice of “losing the right match”.

“We play every match to win,” Mokwena said after the game. “We came here to try to win, disappointed in the first half, lacking aggression, lacking focus.

“But we showed that we’re much better than our first-half performance in the second half, created more goal opportunities, had more final-third entries, controlled the game a bit more.

“Dominated the field a little bit more but pressing the line a bit higher.

“But I’m reminded of something Jurgen Klopp actually told me when I visited Melwood. I never thought I’d use it because I’m a coach that wants to win every single match. In football either win, lose or draw, you have all those possibilities every time a match starts.

“Jurgen Klopp said me, ‘coach, if you want to succeed in football, lose the right match’. And I think we lost the right match because it doesn’t knock us out, we still have a chance to make it.”

Masandawana are hosting Petro at home next week and will need to beat the Girabola side to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition.

Story by David Kappel (@kappilinho).

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