Mokwena takes full responsibility for Sundowns cup exit

Part of the reason why Mamelodi Sundowns were knocked out of the Nedbank Cup, at least according to head coach Rulani Mokwena, is probably because his team lacked freshness.

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Downs were booted out of the competition by Stellenbosch FC on Saturday night as the Mother City side marched on to the semifinals.

“When an opposition is better than you, you accept defeat with grace and humility and you move on. They were better than us in most parts of the game. We lost all of the duels and it was difficult to find a bit of rhythm in our passes and they forced us into mistakes and they punished us. I wish Steve Barker and his team all the best for the rest of the tournament,” said Mokwena.  

“Every opponent we play against has time to prepare for us because they only play one game a week, and we usually have one or two days to prepare. The element of freshness comes in and it was visible in the game. Oppositions have time to review and come up with solutions. But it is not for us to find excuses because we have to win football matches and when we don’t win we have to see why we did not win,” he added.

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However, Mokwena remains a proud mentor, despite the fact that Sundowns are struggling in front of goals of late, as they have uncharacteristically scored just four goals in their last five games across all competition, one of which was an own goal against Stellies.

“As a coach, I am more proud than I have ever been. Despite the pressure and the challenges, because it is very tough at the moment. We did not have the competitive intensity but we will get it right and I am very proud of the players for what they have done this season,” said Mokwena.

“We lost a very important game, a game we knew we could not afford to lose but that is the life of a big team and we have to get used to it. I don’t hide and it is in these moments where I have to stand up and be accountable. I am responsible for the bad results,” Mokwena added.