PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - MARCH 12: Stade Malien coach Mauril Njoyo during the Stade Malien press conference at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on March 12, 2026 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Stade Malien head coach Mauril Njoya remains defiant, insisting his side can overturn a 3-0 first leg deficit against Mamelodi Sundowns when the teams meet in the return leg of their CAF Champions League quarter-final.
Despite being comfortably beaten by the Brazilians at Loftus Versfeld last Friday, Njoya has not lost faith. The Malian outfit will draw confidence from their flawless home record and are likely to present a far sterner challenge at the Stade du 26 Mars.
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Malien have been formidable in Bamako this season, winning all their five matches on home soil in the competition. However, they face a daunting task against a Sundowns side brimming with quality and momentum.
“There is a lot of regret because we didn’t play our game and we gave Sundowns an easy win. We also have to say that we had players injured and some were suspended but we have them all back in Bamako,” Njoya said.
“We will turn the situation around. We topped our group that had Esperance, Petro de Luanda and Simba FC so we’re not just tourists but against Sundowns we didn’t turn up.
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“Even a big team like Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany. So, it happens but what I regret is that we didn’t show up as we should have. Normally we could have done better but in Bamako, we will do better and show who we are.”
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