Tashreeq Matthews says he is determined to carry his momentum into the MTN8 final, as Mamelodi Sundowns prepare to face defending champions Orlando Pirates.
The Sundowns winger made his long-awaited Bafana Bafana debut during the FIFA international break that just passed, starting in the 1-0 win over Egypt in Cairo. Having now returned to club duty, he is eager to keep the good form going.
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“I’m just very grateful that I finally got that opportunity… I just need to continue where I left off, before I went to Bafana and coming back, I just want to continue where I left off,” he said.
Matthews was also quick to highlight the significance of a final featuring so many locally based players, a point that was underlined by the make-up of the national squad.
“I think it’s going to be a very good final, like you said, it’s a lot of locally based players, and seeing what we achieved it’s fantastic, I’m sure not many international nations with local based players in Africa are mostly used.”
‘It will be decided by small details…’
He expects the occasion to deliver in quality and intensity, but says it will not alter Sundowns’ approach during the build-up.
“It’s going to be a good final, a high level of football and I’m very excited to play, it won’t change the way we train, we just need to focus on what we do.
“They are the defending champions and we are in the final together, these games are small details, anything can happen, so it’s about sticking to the way we train and just more motivation as well, because we have reached the final.
“So the only thing to do now is to win but it will be a difficult game.”
Matthews has been an ever-present figure for Sundowns since his arrival in January 2024 from Swedish club IK Sirius, scoring 23 goals, with 18 assists in 116 games – with two league titles and the CAF Champions League, and FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup trophies to his name.