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Cape Town - Thabo Matlaba, Orlando Pirates' hero in their CAF Champions League first leg final, has thanked fans for their ongoing support.
As it happened: Bucs v Al Ahly
PICS: Bucs v Al Ahly
Matlaba scored an equaliser in the last minute of additional time to salvage a 1-1 draw against Al-Ahly at Orlando Stadium on Saturday night.
He said the team never gave up and kept believing they could find the equaliser.
“When you get support like we had over the weekend, you cannot afford to disappoint them," Matlaba told Orlandopiratesfc.com.
“Even when we were trailing 1-0 we never gave up because we knew what was expected of us at home, and in front of our home supporters, we knew we had to dig deep.
"On behalf of the entire team, I would really like to thank all the support we have received from all South Africans. We know that we are not only representing ourselves but the country.”
Matlaba said they will throw all they have at Al-Ahly in the second leg.
"It is simple, we win the match, we win the Champions League - lose, and we obviously lose the title," he said.
The second leg will be played in Cairo on Sunday (kick-off 18:00 SA time).
As it happened: Bucs v Al Ahly
PICS: Bucs v Al Ahly
Matlaba scored an equaliser in the last minute of additional time to salvage a 1-1 draw against Al-Ahly at Orlando Stadium on Saturday night.
He said the team never gave up and kept believing they could find the equaliser.
“When you get support like we had over the weekend, you cannot afford to disappoint them," Matlaba told Orlandopiratesfc.com.
“Even when we were trailing 1-0 we never gave up because we knew what was expected of us at home, and in front of our home supporters, we knew we had to dig deep.
"On behalf of the entire team, I would really like to thank all the support we have received from all South Africans. We know that we are not only representing ourselves but the country.”
Matlaba said they will throw all they have at Al-Ahly in the second leg.
"It is simple, we win the match, we win the Champions League - lose, and we obviously lose the title," he said.
The second leg will be played in Cairo on Sunday (kick-off 18:00 SA time).
