The tactician has further insisted his charges have to up their game to ensure they do not fall in the quarters
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes topping Group B in the Caf Champions League could have been a disadvantage.
Masandawana collected 13 points to finish ahead of CR Belouizdad and were paired against defending champions Al Ahly in the quarter-finals who eventually claimed a 3-1 aggregate win to seal their spot in the final four.
The experienced coach believes finishing second in the group would have impacted his team positively in the quarters.
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"The lessons are a tough one because one of them we learned in the quarter-finals of the Champions League is that when you are fighting very hard to top the group, which sounds like an advantage that you will go and play your first leg away from home, it is not always the best," Mngqithi said in a recent interview.