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McCarthy pleased with Citizens' character

Cape Town - Cape Town City head coach Benni McCarthy praised his side's character after they eked out a credible 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday.

The Citizens were still smarting from their early MTN8 exit at the hands of Polokwane City at the weekend, a result that saw their defence of the cup title fail at the first hurdle.

However, they bounced back with a gritty performance in Atteridgeville, frustrating the defending Premiership champions on their home patch.

"It is difficult to lift yourself up after such a bad performance, you know, to go out on the cup that you're supposed to defend," McCarthy told SuperSport TV after the match.

"I asked the boys to pick themselves up. We had to come and show character and we did."

Asked to explain his tactical approach for the game, McCarthy added: "I mixed it up a bit. I went for Mobara and Mokeke, which is good defensively but we were also able to keep the ball.

"We knew we had to be compact and let Sundowns play wide, because we know that Sundowns' strength is through the middle.

"If we can restrict them from coming through the middle, then we got half a chance.

"We had chances, more clear-cut chances than them to kill the game. But you know what, if you can come to Atteridgeville and do what we did today and get a point. We'll take it."

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