Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies tactician Jerry Tshabalala has heaped praise on his players for managing to shake off fatigue to beat Simba Queens in the CAF Women's Champions League semifinals in Morocco on Wednesday.
Boitumelo Rabale's well-taken goal is was enough to earn the Brazillians a spot in the decider, where they'll meet host nation's AS FAR on Sunday (8pm SA time).
AS FAR, a club which is part of the Moroccan army, provided the bulk of the players who were in Morocco's enterprising team which lost to Banyana Banyana in the final of women's Afcon in July.
Tshabalala attributed their unconvincing overall display to tiredness, having faced TP Mazembe in their last pool stages match three days before in Marrakech, before travelling 323km to Rabat.
The Downs coach also hailed the build-up to Rabale's goal after his players knocked the ball around nicely before Melinda Kgadiete teed-up the 26-year-old Lesotho international.
"Physical factors might have affected our performance. We travelled from Marrakech to Rabat after we had played at 8pm. We never rested enough and when you look at Simba, they played at 5pm and they had enough time to rest. We only started to gel in the second half, so basically credit must go to the girls,'' Tshabalala said.
"Simba pushed us to the limits. At some point I felt like we were going to extra-time and I had to be careful with changes to make because of that. That goal is one of the best well-crafted goals we've ever scored, that's the identity of Mamelodi Sundowns."
Rabale, who made a name for herself when she skippered Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies, reckons their showdown with Simba was one of the most difficult games this tournament has ever seen.
It's only the second edition of the Women's Champions League with Sundowns the defending champions after clinching the inaugural edition last year.
"This was one of the toughest games ever in this competition. Both teams were so determined to go to the final. Simba really gave us a hard time but we showed character and won the game,'' Rabale noted.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.