The South African team secured a narrow 1-0 win over Ahly in Pretoria on Sunday, which gave them an advantage heading into the second leg that will be held in Cairo on Wednesday.

“I am surprised that Ahly is complaining about everything. Ahead of the first leg, they asked for the match start time to be changed and that already happened, and every time they lose against us they lodge a complaint against referees,” the coach said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

He said Ahly should not concentrate on these issues especially as they are an influential and important team and a representative for Africa in Europe, quoting Jose Mourinho, former Chelsea coach, "Teams lose as long as they look outside the pitch."

“I have a list of obvious errors against my team. The club that deserves to lodge a complaint against the referee is Sundowns, not Ahly, but we didn’t do so as we have confidence in CAF officials. Finally, you should respect your opponent if it wasn’t your day as this is the main aim of sports,” he added.

Sundowns have faced Ahly twice in Cairo during the past two seasons in the CAF Champions League. They emerged victorious with a 1-0 win in 2021 before playing to a 2-2 draw in the following season, which ultimately saw Ahly clinching the Champions League title.

“I told my players to play strongly against a big opponent like Ahly. We respect the Egyptian team and prepare well for every game," Mokwena said, stressing that his team had collected all the information needed for Wednesday's game.

“Ahly’s playing style from the start will determine whether we will deploy a defensive strategy or not, but for sure it will be a strong game,” he concluded.

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