“They Punish You”: Williams Reveals Sundowns’ Secret Weapon For Al Ahli Clash
Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams says their pre-season defeat to Al Hilal provided a valuable warning ahead of Saturday’s FIFA Intercontinental clash against Al Ahli.
The Brazilians suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Saudi Arabian side in July while preparing for the new season, but Williams believes the match gave Sundowns an opportunity to gauge the level of Saudi Arabian football before facing another team from the country.
Sundowns will host Asian champions Al Ahli at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday, with the Brazilians looking to advance to the next round of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and keep alive their hopes of facing European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
For Williams, the experience against Al Hilal was valuable because Sundowns dominated possession and created several opportunities but were punished by the Saudi Arabian side when they had their chances.
“Obviously, it helps so much. During our pre-season, we played against Al Hilal, and we saw the level that they had,” Williams said.
“Obviously, sadly, we lost that game, but it was a pre-season game, and it allowed us to see the level. What we noticed in that game is that we had so many chances.
“You know, we dominated possession, we played so well, but they had two chances and they took them. We’ve said it so many times that at that level, they hurt you.
“They make sure that they take their chances. And that’s exactly what we picked up against Al Hilal at the Club World Cup and in the Champions League.
“You’re not going to get so many chances, and you need to make sure that the chances you get, you bury. Their strikers are clinical.
“So that is something to be aware of and alert to, and to know that once we get an opportunity, we have to make sure we take it because they’ll punish you. In that game, I don’t think they had many chances. I think they had two and they buried them.”
Williams also believes Sundowns will need to improve defensively, particularly against an Al Ahli side that has shown its ability to score goals.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper pointed out that the Brazilians have also been conceding more goals than expected this season, despite maintaining their attacking threat.
“They’re a team that scores a lot of goals,” he added.
“If you check the games they play, they score close to three goals per game, but they also concede a lot of goals.
“So it’s almost similar to us, where we’ve been scoring so many goals, but, uncharacteristically for us, we’ve been conceding as well.
“So hopefully, we can rectify our mistakes. Obviously, we’ve got this week now to work on it and just look forward to this massive FIFA Intercontinental final.”
Sundowns have kept only three clean sheets in their 11 games across all competitions this season and have conceded 12 goals, highlighting the need for greater defensive discipline against Al Ahli.
