Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies head coach Jerry Tshabalala has admitted they lost to a better team when they suffered their first defeat in four years.
Banyana Ba Style were beaten 2-0 by a youthful University of the Western Cape (UWC) in a Hollywoodbets Super League clash on Sunday in Cape Town – denting their fine start to the 2022 season where they had played and won all four of their fixtures.
The loss saw them drop down to second spot on the log standings, with JVW assuming the top spot following a blemish-free run of five wins this season.
Khanya Xesi and Sibulele Holweni scored for UWC.
“Our first-half performance let us down because we struggled to match their intensity and character during the early phases of the game. They battled for every ball, unsettled us, and took their chances when they had it. I spoke about the tactical nous of Thinasonke Mbuli during the build-up to the game and they showed why they are a force to be reckoned with in the league. Our second-half performance was much better and we are looking to move past this result in the shortest possible time,” said Tshabalala on the club’s website.
Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies was the last team to inflict a defeat on the Brazilians in 2018.
Tshabalala and his charges will have to put the UWC loss behind them and focus on their assignment – another difficult outing when they host TUT Ladies on Sunday, 23 May 2022.
“The game of football is very unpredictable and we have just seen another proof of that. Our opponents showed great fight determination and they took their chance when it came along. We are not happy with the outcome of the match, but we have to dust ourselves up and move on to the next game. This defeat has done nothing to affect our mentality for the season. We will bounce back and we will do so emphatically,” said captain Zanele Nhlapo.
Sundowns and TUT face off in an early kick-off (11h30) at the Wits Stadium in Johannesburg.
By Matlhomola Morake
