Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has accepted full responsibility for their loss that saw them crash out of the Nedbank Cup this weekend.
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Sundowns' hopes of achieving a treble this season came to an end when they were beaten 2-1 by a spirited Stellenbosch on Saturday.
Iqraam Rayners proved to be the difference between the two sides as he netted a brace, while Aubrey Modiba managed to score for the Brazilians.
Speaking to the media after the game, Mokwena conceded that his side was second best to the Cape Winelands outfit who were deserved winners, while shouldering the responsibility for the loss.
"We lost a very important game, a game that we knew we could not but that's the that's the life of big teams and we have to get used to it. I don't hide and I will not hide. It's in these moments where, as the leadership and as the coach, I have to stand up and I have to be accountable. I am responsible for the bad results and it is my responsibility to be in front, especially when the team is not doing well. In sport, when an opposition is better than you, with a lot of humility and grace you accept the result, and you move on. For most parts of the game, I thought they were better than us," he told journalists.
Sundowns have now gone four games without a win, something that is an area of concern, with the Brazilians set to participate in the CAF Champions League quarterfinal against CR Belouizdad.
"You're only as good as your last performance in football and in any other sport. So we've got to prove every single day, every single training session, every single match that we are the best team in the country and that means we have the responsibility, the pressure of playing under that mark with that tag behind us. It's not easy believe you me, it's not easy. It's the hardest thing but it's the best thing to give you a competitive edge and to keep you and give you fuel to keep going. Unfortunately, we didn't have that today and we lost to, as I said on the day, the better side," he continued.
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