Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has thrown his weight behind Andile Jali, who had a challenging game against Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semi-final first-leg encounter at Orlando Stadium.
The much-anticipated affair was tightly contested as it ended in a stalemate, and the highly-rated Jali was one of the players who had a game to forget.
The 32-old-year, competing against his former club, was seeking to use his experience to put in a commanding performance.
However, Jali was bossed around and dominated by the Bucs midfield trio of Goodman Mosele, Miguel Timm and Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo, with the latter producing a Man of the Match display on his Pirates debut.
DOWNS COACH ON JALI’s PEFFORMANCE
Despite having a quiet game, Mngqithi has come out to defend the central midfielder, who was replaced early in the second half by Bongani Zungu.
“We just wanted to inject a bit of intensity, to improve the speed of the game,” Mngqithi told the media.
“If you look at our second half, there was a big improvement in terms of our passing game and the number of passes.
“But he [Andile Jali] played very well and had very good moments in our build-up.
“But substituting him was sorely because we wanted to add pace to the game, which is why we brought in players like [Marcelo] Allende, players like Gaston[Sirino],” Mngqithi added.
Masandawana were expected to continue the dominance they’ve shown over the Soweto giants in recent times, but the Tshwane giants couldn’t hit the upper gear, finishing the game without a shot on target.
Jali was outstanding for the Chloorkop-based side last campaign, as they won a treble, including the MTN8 and DStv Premiership.
The former KV Oostende star won big at the 2021/22 PSL awards as he walked away with three accolades, the DStv Premiership Midfielder of the Season, MTN8 Last Man Standing and Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament.
In the current 2022/23 season, Jali has made nine appearances in all competitions for the Tshwane-based outfit.
Pirates and Sundowns, who are the in-form clubs in the league, occupy first and second spot on the log standings.
The South African football giants will face off in the second leg of the top eight competition at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium in a fight to reach the final set to be held at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, November 5.
