Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has provided an injury update on Teboho Mokoena after the midfielder missed the club’s Betway Premiership opener against TS Galaxy on Tuesday night.
The Bafana Bafana star was a notable absentee from Masandawana’s matchday squad as they secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium.
Sundowns collected maximum points after digging deep to score late goals, surviving a stern test from the Mpumalanga-based side.
The reigning CAF Champions League holders opened the scoring early in the first half through a penalty from Brayan León, before Victor Letsoalo struck twice—once on either side of the break—to give Galaxy a 2-1 lead. As the match entered its closing stages, Sundowns introduced Sphelele Mkhulise off the bench, and the midfielder scored a brace to seal the 3-2 win.
Mokoena missed the contest after sustaining an injury during the MTN8 quarter-final clash against Polokwane City FC last weekend. Youngster Gomolemo Kekana stepped into the starting line-up in his place while the Bafana star nurses the issue.
MIGUEL CARDOSO CONFIRMS TEBOHO MOKOENA’S INJURY SETBACK
Speaking after the match against Galaxy, Cardoso criticised PSL officiating for failing to protect Mokoena, who could face a spell on the sidelines depending on the severity of the injury.
“Teboho Mokoena was not part of the match today [Tuesday]. I think it’s important for South Africa that we protect our players,” Cardoso said. “We come from the [2026 FIFA] World Cup, and Teboho is a national hero then, when he’s playing his first match, we allow such aggression on him without being penalised.
“I don’t know if you saw, but this is the injury to Teboho Mokoena; it’s a rough one, and that player [from Polokwane City] was not even given a yellow card.
“So there were many situations in the past match; what I mean is that we have to protect our players, and this is a positive critique. We must protect players that want to play football.
“As Sundowns, we are a team that wants to play football and play fairly, but even playing fair, sometimes it’s not enough. If you look properly, there were two players for Polokwane City after halftime who should have gotten red cards, and the match would not have gone to extra time.”
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