Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana admits the 3-0 defeat at the hands of Orlando Pirates was a ‘difficult one to take’ for the squad.
Sundowns crashed out of the MTN8 semi-final after Kermit Erasmus and a Monnapule Saleng brace secured victory in the second leg at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday afternoon, leading the club to make some changes to their technical team, with Rulani Mokwena named the sole head coach.
It ended the chance of back-to-back domestic trebles for the Yellow Nation but Kekana admits they are now looking to turn their attention back to the league campaign with Maritzburg United on the horizon.
“The result was a bit of a hard one to take,” he said. “Obviously we know we were the defending champions of the MTN8, so we wanted to progress to the final and defend our title. But it wasn’t to be on the day.
“We’re disappointed but we don’t want to dwell on it too much now that we can’t do anything about it, so our next focus is on the league.”
John Maduka’s side is currently in a relegation mire after one-third into the league campaign and will be desperate to pick up points before the break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“Maritzburg away, we’ll be looking to bounce back, obviously just get over the loss we suffered against Pirates, and hopefully get a positive result there,” he continued.
“It’s gonna be a tough encounter, they’re down in the relegation zone, so they’ll also be looking to get out of it, it’s always tough going to Maritzburg, but it’s an encounter we’ll be prepared for. We’ll give it our all.”
Sundowns lead the table on goal difference and have two games in hand over second-placed Richards Bay who are level on 22 points after 12 games played for the Natal Richboyz.
