Gallants hunger to lift the Confed Cup

Marumo Gallants coach Raymond Mdaka says the players have the hunger to win the CAF Confederation Cup after they defeated favourites USM Alger yesterday at Dobsonville Stadium.

The 2-0 win over their Algerian counterparts saw the SA side climb to first place in Group A with nine points, while Alger is in second place with seven points with Saint Eloi Lupopo and Al Akhdar in third and fourth respectively. 

How Gallants have gone about their business in the Confed Cup has put the competition on notice and that has brought questions about their objective in the continental cup. Mdaka was asked if they can go all the way in the Confed Cup during his post-match press conference. 

“The players have the hunger to go beyond, they want to see what is there. If they have it as players then it becomes easy for the team to put it up there," Mdaka told the media.

“All we want is to qualify [for the knockout stages], that's all we want whether we qualify as the first or the second team, it's all the same. We are left with two teams, we are going to Libya and then the Congo team that’s coming. It’s a matter of six points, out of the six points if we can have four we definitely come out on top," he said.

Playing in Africa has brought lessons on and off the field for Mdaka. He elaborated on what's the difference between the continental and domestic scene. 

"Our league in SA is very strong... most of the teams that we have played against when we go out, you’ll see that in terms of resources they are good and administratively most of their things are of a better level," Mdaka said.

Gallants are rooted at the bottom of the DStv Premiership, as things stand they are primed for the drop. Mdaka is optimistic that their form in the Confed Cup will translate to the league and save their status. 

"That’s what we are believing, if a team is losing then it will lose confidence but the more you are winning the more you will gain confidence. With the way, we are playing now under difficult circumstances and we can get results. It is a motivation on its own to the boys and it makes us believe that we can survive domestically," he said.