Peter Shalulile's continued struggles in front of goal was highlighted by his penalty miss in Mamelodi Sundowns' Nedbank Cup semi-final clash; however, his coach has leapt to his defence, pledging his full support to the striker.
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Not for the first time has Mokwena come out in support of the Namibian forward.
It has become a part of his game, especially during his five years with Sundowns, where he would experience dry periods without goals, his latest a 11-game spell without a goal, before scoring a double against TS Galaxy last week.
Incredibly, the 30-year-old seems to dust himself off and get back into the thick of things as he continues to chase down Siyabonga Nomvethe's long-standing all-time PSL goal scoring record.
Shalulile could have made Sundowns' passage to the Nedbank Cup final a bit easier had he dispatched from 12 yards out; however, he ballooned his effort, which saw a tense end to the game.
Despite his miss, his coach Mokwena commended his teammates for their efforts in trying to uplift the striker's confidence.
"The game became a bit complicated after we missed the penalty. But you know it's pretty sweet because I look at it and I say to myself, I want us to score the penalty and I'm very proud of Peter with a difficult run still, putting up his hand and saying I want to take it very, very proud of him for showing that mentality and I'm more proud of this football team and these football players," he told journalists after the game.
"When I say to you that they are good human beings, this is exactly what I mean. And they they sacrifice the penalty and they say let's give it to Peter. And this shows what type of a group we have and the type of players that we have. And I'm very proud of them for demonstrating that selflessness and that brotherhood, you know, to try to get Peter on the score sheet so that his confidence can improve and get better. And it's an amazing group of players and I'm very, very proud," he continued.
Sundowns will take on Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final at Mbombela Stadium on 1 June.
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