Several members of the Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies team are already aiming to bounce back in the next game after Sunday’s shock 1-0 loss at the hands of Royal AM at the Tuks Stadium. Banyana Ba Style saw their unbeaten start to the season come to a stuttering halt after a heartbreaking narrow defeat.
For the reigning champions, despite the loss, their record remains impressive with 19 points from 8 games, having recorded 6 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.
Oratile Mokwena believes Sunday’s defeat will serve as a wake-up call for the Brazilians, “We faced a highly determined team in a grueling game. Although it was a bad day at the office, we will use this defeat as a catalyst for improvement. While we are disappointed, we remain determined to fight again and come back stronger. Despite the loss, we learned a lot from the game and identified areas where we need to improve. We will work hard in training and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that we perform better in our next fixture. Our focus is on bouncing back and regaining our winning momentum.”
Sedilame Bosija also believes Sundowns Ladies have what it takes to fight back from setbacks, “We have a talented and resilient team, and we are determined to regroup and come back stronger from this temporary feeling of disappointment. We know that setbacks are a part of the game and it is how we respond to them that defines us as a team. We will use this as a learning opportunity and come back with a renewed sense of purpose and drive. With our unwavering determination and commitment to excellence, we are confident that we will overcome any obstacle that comes our way and achieve our goals for the season.”
Sundowns Ladies were unfortunate not to have grabbed an equalizer after Lelona Daweti’s goal was chalked off due to an offside call in the second half. Despite all efforts to level the scores, Banyana Ba Style was unable to convert their chances.
With the next fixture coming after the Easter break, Nonhlanhla Mthandi believes the team will intensify the preparations despite the short break.
“The league is a marathon, not a sprint, and today’s result has done very little to dampen our belief in the season. We remain focused on our long-term goals and are determined to enhance our preparations to ensure that we continue to improve with each passing game,” Mthandi stated.
Up next for Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies is a clash against City Lads on the 15th of April.
The performances this season are far from convincing…. I said it before and will continue to articulate this …. Teams have figures us our because are formation is rigid. There is no surprise element in our games so it make plotting against us so easy for tactical coaches. We keep on playing the same way in every game…. soccer is dynamic and formations do change but ours is the same…. it is also easy to predict the starting 11 … The technical team need to milk information from the senior team’s technical team on how to be flexible with formations and tactics. Can we nor have another system to use 3 5 2 for the past 10 year… it can’t be we have many teams in the league now and all gunning for the trophy. UWC is slowly but surely having a grip as the only team unbeaten so far with a game in hand …which means we are trailing behind. As a staunch supporter of this team it is dampening to say the least…. we are a shadow of ourselves so far this season… there has been no performance I could say I was really impressed. Something must give we can not continue like this
I still believe the team is good enough to win this league. I also agree with you Nephat, UWC looks good. I watched the game yesterday against Royal AM, the girls played well. But the ref also played her part in the loss. offsides that weren’t even there. Also not sure why the coach is benching some of the senior players in the team.