Mamelodi Sundowns were defeated on the road when they headed to Lucas Moripe Stadium to face SuperSport United in the Tshwane derby on Friday night. Just five days earlier to the second derby in the capital, the Brazilians dominated their opponents in the MTN8 quarterfinals encounter to defeat them. However, an unexpected loss to United prevented the Champions from climbing the standings. Co-coach for the Downs, Manqoba Mngqithi, described the contest as dramatic despite the defeat.
“I believe it was a terrific encounter, as both sides came with the goal to compete for the win. We generated far too many opportunities to not score a single goal in the first half, but we had too many frustrating moments defensively because we knew what SuperSport does. Both goals we conceded were the result of something we had detected.
“We practiced to cope with that, but we still were caught in those circumstances, and in both instances, we were a touch sluggish in terms of our aggressiveness to try to kill the cross and not let it to through. The second one, inasmuch as I first believed Thapelo Morena ought to have gone to the ball before it bounced, I believe he assumed the ball would bounce and go out. But after studying it, I also observed that Iqraam Rayners pushed him off balance, which is why he was able to put the ball in the box. If he had simply cleared the ball before it bounced, maybe we would not be talking about this tale, and conceding in such crucial moments of the game is the worst.”
Masandawana made a good start to the game, generating goal-scoring opportunities but failing to score as the hosts dominated possession in the first half but were significantly more effective with the ball in the attacking third. United scored two goals before to halftime, the first inside the opening eight minutes of the contest and the second at the 45-minute mark. The Brazilians’ coach pinpointed aspects of the game that contributed to their failure at Lucas Moripe Stadium, stating:
“There were issues that needed to be addressed, such as the manner in which we allowed goals and the fact that we did not capitalize on our opportunities. To we didn’t really preserve the structure that we wanted to keep, particularly in the half spaces to try and utilize the outside of Siyabonga Nhlapho and [Thalente] Mbatha, but we also realized that the game required a little more aggressiveness and fight.”
“The amount of points we earned in our first cycle decreased, but we still earned 10 points in five matches, and we still have 12 points to earn in this cycle.” Regarding the championship defense, I do not believe that recent events indicate that we have veered off course or that defending the title will be very difficult. It is always tough to play SuperSport, and it is always difficult to compete for the Championship in South Africa. In the end, it seems easy, but it is never simple.”
Bafana Ba Style will return to play on September 7 when they visit Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to face Chippa United. The game begins at 19:30.
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