Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has given his side’s performance rating in a tightly contested DStv Premiership clash against Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Sundowns came out victorious with a 1-0 scoreline to stretch their lead at the summit of the log to 25 points. With this triumph, they extended their winning streak to 15 consecutive matches in the league.
It was the in-form Cassius Mailula who scored the only goal of the sold-out encounter in Soweto as Sundowns took a step closer to clinching a record sixth Premiership title in a row.
In spite of the fact that the Tshwane giants’ win was far from pretty, Mokwena was surprisingly full of praise for his men for their effort.
“We played the game the way a big game is supposed to be played,” Mokwena told the media.
RULANI MOKWENA GIVES HIS SUNDOWNS RATING
“I have nothing but incredible respect and appreciation for this group of players, you know, and if I were to rate it out of 10, not the performance as a whole, I would give it a 15 if it’s allowed. I’m very proud of this group, and I’m a very proud coach.
“But I was pleasantly surprised by how well we defended; you know, normally, we have to have the ball to defend.
“But today we defended very well, we didn’t give anything away, there were no opportunities, big chances rather in open play, and we showed that we can play difficult games and respond to the situation.
However, even though Sundowns won, Mokwena admitted that Pirates dominated the game and were a better team on the day.
“Two good sides very dominant from Pirates I thought, but I thought we had the better chances also, so congratulations to Mamelodi Sundowns football club,” he added.
“To the yellow nation, very humbling turnout from them and incredible support, and then congratulations to this fantastic group of players; we are proud of them.”
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