Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has reacted to the shock defeat against Magesi FC in the 2024 Carling Knockout Cup final.
Sundowns suffered a 2-1 loss at the Free State Stadium on Saturday at the hands of Magesi, who lifted the second edition of the Carling Cup.
Magesi scored two goals in the second-half against the Tshwane giants through Tshepo Kakora and Delano Abrahams. Before scoring the two goals, Sundowns had opened the scoring in first-half courtesy of Iqraam Rayners.
Dikwena tsa Meetse produced an exciting performance to clinch a domestic trophy in their first season in the SA’s elite league.
Magesi gained promotion to the Betway Premiership at the start of the 2024/25 campaign after winning the Motsepe Foundation Championship title.
In the Carling Knockout Cup, Magesi pulled a big upset against Orlando Pirates in the last 16 of the tournament. The Clinton Larsen-coached team went on to beat TS Galaxy in the quarter-final before defeating Richards Bay FC in the semi-final.
Despite being hot favourites to win the Carling Knockout, Downs went down to Magesi, missing the opportunity to win a domestic trophy.
WHAT DID MANQOBA MNGQITHI SAY ABOUT LOSING AGAINST MAGESI?
Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has pinpointed a lapse of concentration in defence as the main reason his side lost the final.
“I think we took control of the game, and we created very good moments because they were sitting deep,” Mngqithi said on SABC 1.
“We wanted to take shots from range and I think we took some good shots from range, it was unfortunate because I thought the header by Peter [Shalulile] should have been a goal.
“And there were many instances in the box, maybe Lucas [Ribeiro] could have passed [Aubrey] Modiba or Iqraam Rayners, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.
“I think the players played the game, but the unfortunate part is that we conceded goals, and we worked very hard to make sure that we didn’t concede, and we know how strong they are on set pieces.”
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