Mokwena Remains Optimistic after MTN8 Loss to Bucs

Coach Rhulani Mokwena is confident that Mamelodi Sundowns will bounce back better than ever after losing the MTN8 final held at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday, 7 October.

After the match ended on 0-0 in extra time, the reigning Premier Soccer League champions lost 3-1 to Pirates on penalties, courtesy of goalkeeper Sipho Chaine, who saved three successive penalties from Sundowns’ Bongani Zungu, Junior Mendieta and Teboho Mokoena.

Thanks to Chaine, the Buccaneers won the MTN8 championship.

In a post-match conference, Mokwena bemoaned his men’s loss, but he wasn’t completely forlorn.

“We let our supporters down and we let the football club down,” he commented. “We feel [the pain] and we apologise for that, but we march on. The universe has no budget for pity parties, so there’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to pick ourselves up and be strong. We’ve got a lot of trophies to play for … a lot of games to win.

“We are Sundowns. We will bounce back … It’s a difficult one to swallow, but … we will be back!”

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