Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi is well aware of the fact pressure will mount on him following the Carling Knockout cup final upset at the hands of rookies Magesi FC, but he has not entered panic mode.
For the second time in 2024, Sundowns were on the receiving end of a late sucker punch in a knockout competition, as Magesi scored late in the game to secure an incredible victory after coming from a goal down.
Sundowns were victims of the same fate in the Nedbank Cup earlier this year, when they squandered a lead against Orlando Pirates and had to endure the pain of conceding late as they watched, with gloomy eyes, the Buccaneers lifting the trophy.
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Mngqithi, of course, has been around long enough to know that a defeat in a cup final, to rookies, will put him under tremendous pressure, but he continues to believes that Sundowns are on the right track.
"In football, you can expect anything. If you choose to become a coach, you must expect that in this space our jobs are under scrutiny every week. We have to deliver. It's unlike a CEO of a company who has to come at the end of the financial year," Mngqithi said at a press conference held at Toyota Stadium after the game.
"But with us football coaches, it's always going to be 'where are we going?'. Are we going towards the right direction or are we going in the wrong direction? I am still optimistic we are going in the right direction."
The Carling Knockout was Mngqithi's opportunity to win a first major knockout competition as head coach at the club. With the defeat, expectations to deliver will rise and that starts in the coming week as Sundowns begin their CAF Champions League group stage campaign against Congolese outfit Maniema Union on Tuesday.
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There's the Betway Premiership as well, where Sundowns are currently the chasers behind leaders Pirates. Mngqithi did say he enjoys chasing, rather than leading in the title race, but it remains to be seen if the Tshwane giants will deliver.
Their final opportunity to secure a domestic knockout title will come in 2025 in the Nedbank Cup.
