Our group is still wide open, says Sundowns’ Manqoba Mngqithi after beating Al Hilal in opener

Johannesburg — After a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Al Hilal in their Champions League group stage opener on Friday night, Mamelodi Sundowns’ co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi is convinced that the top two spots in their group can be taken by any team.

Sundowns started the New Year on a high note after scoring six goals and keeping two clean sheets in as matches in domestic football. So much so that they were tipped to continue with the sheer dominance in their continental outing.

But the Brazilians were on the backfoot for the better part of the game at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium as the Sudanese-bases outfit pinned them in their own half, with some constructive build-ups, attacking football and technical awareness.

However, a costly error in the eighth minute from the visitors' defence resulted in the opener and winner by Themba Zwane. That win ensured that the hosts bagged all three points and went top of Group A that has reigning champions Al Ahly.

But Mngqithi is not naïve thinking that the race for the top two spots, which guarantee a quarter-final qualification, will be between them and the Egyptian giants. Instead, he knows that both Al Hilal and Al Merrikh stand a chance as well.

“To be honest, the four teams that are in this group are all capable of going through,” Mngqithi explained in his post-match reactions on Friday. “I don’t want to say who’ll go through. But I hope Mamelodi Sundowns is one of the two teams.

“But the truth of the matter is that it's not going to be easy for any team - mark my words. As the matches progresses, it’s going to be very tight in this group. I think this is one of the strongest groups in the CAF Champions League this season.”

Sundowns, though, are eager for a better finish than just the