Mamelodi Sundowns Co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi did not hold back from praising TTM goalkeeper Washington Arubi after a stellar performance in the Nedbank Cup semi-final on Sunday.
TTM defeated the Brazilians in a penalty shootout and ended Sundowns’ search for a treble alongside. For TTM, the win also saw them advanced to a first Nedbank Cup final in the club’s history. Against Sundowns, TTM goalkeeper Arubi was easily the standout player on the pitch, with brilliant saves all through the game.
“We expected a very tough match because they are a very good team” Mngqithi said after the defeat.
“Don’t take them lightly. But I think credit today should be given to their goalkeeper. Washington was on top of his game today. He made some outstanding saves in areas where you thought he was dead and buried and he came out.
“I want to believe we tried to push them as much as we could. We created good moments. We had some calls where we think we could have got something out of them but in football you must always accept some of these things happening. We lost a game that i believed we played very well but unfortunately it wasn’t to be and they must be congratulated. They put up a very good fight and defender very well.
“And it was always going to be tough for us considering we had another tough match on Monday. Be that as it may we fought very hard.
“We’re a big team. We’ve got the personnel. We were unfortunate today in that some of our key players had to pull out at the 11th hour – Denis and Mosa. But the truth must be told. We never really struggled in that regard because they made our life very difficult.”
Mngqithi also expressed his admiration for the TTM goalkeeper, calling him one of the best in the country .
“I’ve always like Arubi. I’ve always believed he’s a very good goalkeeper. And today he really showed his quality. And I am sure there are many other teams looking at him differently because he’s always been a good goalkeeper. I was wondering why he had to slump down to NFD because he has always been one of the best goalkeepers in the country.”
Mamelodi Sundowns will have to refocus their attention to the league as they will face second placed Amazulu in a clash between first and second in the league. They could be nine points clear of Amazulu with a win and retain their unbeaten status in the PSL this season.