In a gripping first leg of the CAF Champions League quarter-final, Young Africans SC and Mamelodi Sundowns ended in a stalemate at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday evening. The scoreless draw leaves the tie wide open ahead of the second leg in South Africa this Friday.

Despite dominating for large stretches of the match, Sundowns' head coach, Rhulani Mokwena, expressed dissatisfaction with his team's performance, particularly in the battle for possession and their composure in critical moments. Mokwena pointed out the team's initial struggle to control the game and their inability to maintain compactness, which hampered their dominance.

"We lacked a bit of compactness and couldn't get the foot on the ball to play with more control,"

Mokwena lamented, highlighting the team's shortfall in winning duels and securing second balls. However, he acknowledged a slight improvement in the second half, noting an increase in intensity and forward momentum against a formidable Young Africans side.

Mokwena praised his team's defensive efforts, which largely neutralized the threat from Young Africans' potent attackers, Musonda, Mzize, and Aziz Ki, allowing them only a few half-chances. Yet, he admitted that Sundowns could have been more proactive in creating scoring opportunities, pointing out the missed final passes.

Looking ahead to the return leg, Mokwena remained optimistic, underscoring the need for a better performance in Pretoria.

"We can play better, we can do better, and we can use the ball better,"

he stated, emphasizing the importance of improvement in the second leg, regardless of the first leg's outcome.

The winner of this tightly contested match-up will advance to the semi-finals to face the winner of the clash between Tunisian side Espérance and Ivory Coast's ASEC Mimosas, scheduled for late April.