South African coach Rhulani Mokwena licks his wounds after first MC Alger loss this season insisting 'I couldn't recognise my team'

Rulani Mokwena's bid to star the CAF Champions League group stage on a high suffered a setback following a 2-1 loss against Al Hilal on Friday at Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda.

The Algerian outfit had come into the match full of confidence owing to the recent record under the former Mamelodi Sundowns tactician.

In the 13 matches the 38-year-old had been in charge - across all competitions, the People's Club had recorded eight wins, four draws, and a defeat.

However, they were undone by the Sudanese outfit, who scored their first goal through their captain, Abdelrazig Omer, who beat the half-time whistle to hand his side the lead

Despite MC Alger equalising eight minutes into the second half, thanks to the hosts' defender Mustafa Karshom, deflecting into his own net, after a shot by MC Alger's Oussama Benhaoua for an own goal, Mohamed Abdelrahman reclaimed the lead for Al Hilal with 15 minutes to go, and a win in the process. 

“A difficult game, we expected it to be difficult and it was difficult,” the former Wydad Athletic Club coach told the media.

“Every team loses in the world; we will take our first defeat this season with a lot of humility, and also, we will take the lessons that come out of the result. And now we have five more games to play in the group. Let’s hope we get better.”

Mokwena was not impressed with the way the Algerian heavyweights started the game.

“After losing a game, it’s difficult to speak about positives, but as I said to you, in the first half, I couldn’t recognise my team.

“But the response in the second half was good. Tactically, we also changed the build-up and some things.

“It was much better, and I think if we played the way we played in the second half for 90 minutes, the results would have been different," Mokwena concluded.

During his time at Mamelodi Sundowns, coach Rhulani Mokwena helped Mamelodi Sundowns to the quarter-final in the 2022/23 edition, but they were knocked out by Wydad Athletic Club.

A season later, the Brazilians failed to get past Esperance in the semi-final before leaving for Wydad Casablanca for the 2024/25 campaign. He is now with MC Alger, where he has no option, according to his sentiments, but to achieve the set objectives that include winning the continental crown.

"Sometimes, as coaches, we overplay or overhype our team. I try to help the club. It is an objective of the club, it is an objective that is very important to the president, and it is an objective that is important to the fans," he stated in a recent interview.
"Unfortunately, I am a part of the club, and the objectives and goals of the club become mine, but it can never be an individual process. It is something the club, staff, and everyone involved in the club want to achieve," Mokwena concluded.

The next Group D game will be on Friday, November 28, a match Mokwena will be desperate to win to avoid getting eliminated in the group stage.

With his decent record in Algeria, Mokwena can surely get the win he needs against his former team and the reigning Premier Soccer League champions.