Mokwena reflects on painful Nedbank Cup defeat

Rulani Mokwena admits the pain of losing to Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final on Saturday cuts deep. The Brazilians lost grip of the match after Themba Zwane had given the lead early in the second half.

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Patrick Maswanganyi equalised for the Buccaneers before Relebohile Mofokeng broke the hearts of the Sundowns faithful with a winner in stoppage time. Mokwena reflected on the heartache of losing to Pirates for a second final in row having also come in second best in the MTN8.

“Well, the facts speak that they have beaten us twice now so I don’t know if that makes them our hoodoo team or not,” Mokwena reflected after the dramatic final at the Mbombela Stadium.

“How much does it hurt? Every defeat leaves a very deep scar and it doesn’t matter what type of occasion or game it represents. The pain is there and it’s not about losing to Orlando Pirates or the cup final but it’s about losing the match and we lost a match that I believe in my heart that we played well enough to win it.

“What hurts even more in football are the ones that you lose and you deserved it (to win). You played exceptionally well and you get the dagger right at the end. We could have defended that situation a lot better and we knew about it because we worked on it yesterday in training.”

After a tremendous season having won the African Football League and the DStv Premiership, Sundowns are now licking their wounds after losing two games in a row to end the season on a sour note.

‘You have to start with yourself’

“I need the off season to properly digest the lessons but the most important part about losing games like this is that you have to start with yourself and you can’t go too far,” Mokwena concluded.

“You ask yourself whether you could have done better and first before even finding reasons as to why you have to humble yourself and apologise to the football club because it’s not a game you should have lost. It’s my responsibility to apologise to Mamelodi Sundowns football club, the supporters, the board for letting them down.

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“And then it’s about introspection and checking yourself whether the investment is enough and if it’s not, it becomes a problem because the club deserves better and a coach that will invest a bit more and that’s what my off season will be about.”