The Mozambiquean club, who had lost 1-0 at home in the first leg, recorded a 2-1 victory at Athlone Stadium to progress in the tournament on away goals, following a high-octane clash with a number of tussles – one of which left City midfielder Thabo Nodada bleeding at the mouth – as well as a skirmish between Costas and Benni McCarthy in the tunnel.
Costas could not help but take another jab at his opponents following the final whistle, with his side secured of a place in the final play-offs before the group stages on the competition.
“God gave us justice,” he said. “In the first round, Cape Town City scored a goal which was off-side. We knew our qualities, and knew we could change the bad aspects that happened in the first game. You could see our team is better than Cape Town City, we were better and God blessed us.”
Costa Do Sol, who have not won their domestic league title since 2007 and are playing in Africa for the first time in eight years, are now just a two-legged tie away from the CAF Confederation Cup group stages, with Costa keen to awaken the “sleeping monster” within the club, and play with the same heart shown in the defeat of the Citizens.
“We play with heart, the heart of a lion, because Costa do Sol is a sleeping monster of a club that is now waking up,” he said.
“I can’t talk about the future, because this is football – you can win, draw or lose, but we’ll take it step by step. We want to win, but the difference will be the belief. Today the players played with belief, and every game we want to play with that belief.”