Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has highlighted Lucas Ribeiro’s biggest issue after their win against Cape Town City FC.
The Tshwane giants returned to winning ways with a convincing 3-0 win over CT City in the Betway Premiership at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Wednesday evening.
Mngqithi’s troops dominated the match, scoring through Ribeiro and Peter Shalulile, who netted a brace. Before their resounding win against the Citizens, Sundowns suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Polokwane City FC in the league last weekend.
The loss against Rise and Shine was Sundowns’ first defeat of the 2024/25 campaign, having won five games out of six in the league. On the log standings, Downs are occupying the second position behind leaders Orlando Pirates. The Buccaneers have had a perfect start to the season after winning all their opening six games to take their point tally to 18.
WHAT DID MANQOBA MNGQITHI SAY ABOUT LUCAS RIBEIRO?
Mngqithi has expressed his concern about Lucas Ribeiro getting what he deems to be ‘unnecessary’ yellow cards.
The highly-rated attacker missed Sundowns’ game against Polokwane City due to suspension after accumulating his fourth booking of the season.
Upon his return from suspension, The Brazilian received another yellow card against the Citizens. Ribeiro has been an integral part of Sundowns as he has already scored six goals and provided three assists in 10 matches across all competitions this campaign.
“Starting with Lucas, it’s a big concern for all of us that he somehow finds a way to get a booking even when it was difficult for him to get a booking because the tackle that he made just on the line was very unnecessary,” Mngqithi said.
“Sometimes you must know when you working with South Americans that they think differently, they give everything to the game which sometimes exposes them to such cautions.
“We are concerned. Personally, I had three or four one-on-ones with him, and I really want him to understand. I think he has improved in some instances because he was very emotional before, but I think he’s improving now.
“I’m seeing a lot of progress, but I think there’s still a lot of work to do; even other members of the club are trying to assist players like Lucas.”
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