Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi expressed his disappointment after his side suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Polokwane City in the Betway Premiership on Sunday.

Bulelani Ninkani’s late goal proved to be the difference, as Polokwane capitalized on Sundowns’ lackluster performance. Mngqithi was particularly critical of his team’s first-half display.

The game appeared to be heading to drab draw as Sundowns struggled to open the home side at will, but the defending champions’ game appeared to be affected due to many changes they made in the squad.  

This has allowed Orlando Pirates remain on top of the Betway Premiership with 15 points after having won all their five matches and Sundowns as expected to reply to reclaim their top spot. 

Pirates had beaten AmaZulu 2-1 at Orlando Stadium on Friday to reclaim the top that has been exchanged by the two sides and Sundowns remain second with 12 points from five matches.  

“The first half was horrible,” said Mngqithi on SuperSport TV after the game. 

“We were just nowhere. In the final third, we could not make any combinations. We did get into the final third several times where maybe a better decision from Tashreeq Matthews, maybe from Iqraam Rayners, and when you don’t translate those moments into chances, which is almost the same thing that happened midweek against Royal AM, but it does not yield anything, you have to be worried. 

“I just feel not many things were going for us. We had almost all our best players on the pitch but unfortunately, the result was not to be and we knew it was not going to be easy. We never took Polokwane City for granted because they are a team that gives us a lot of trouble, but unfortunately on the day it was not to be.”  

Mngqithi acknowledged the challenge that lies ahead, with a crucial match against Cape Town City on the horizon. City proved to be a tough opponent for Sundowns last season, taking four points from them.

Eric Tinkler’s side took four points from Sundowns last season, including the last game of last season where Sundowns were aiming to become the first side in the PSL to finish the season without a defeat. 

“We have to come back and I trust the boys to come back,” said Mngqithi. 

“There was a lot of wrong things in this match and obviously we would expect a reaction from our players and congratulations to Polokwane and I think they deserve to win the match.”