Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has said his side only have themselves to blame after being knocked out in the CAF Champions League second preliminary round by Wiliete SC.
For the first time since 2015, Sundowns failed to reach the group stages of the competition, being knocked out as defending champions.
After the match, a shell-shocked Cardoso admitted it was a bitter pill to swallow but his players can only blame themselves.
“It’s obviously difficult to express anything when you don’t qualify for the group stages and you cannot even proceed in the competition and defend the title,” he told SABC Sport.
“But we just can look at ourselves. I think besides one shot from the first half there is nothing from Wiliete in this match.
“The goal they score is a pass from our own striker. We had so many chances, we can only complain on us, it’s a very tough night, very difficult moment.
“We can only complain on us on what we could have done, the game was so simple to close it but we let the energy not go in the right direction and after we suffered the goal still 40 minutes to play and we let emotions take control of us and not play in the most clever way.”
Cardoso also insisted that they now need to move forward and focus on other competition, with the CAF Champions League now out of reach.
“It’s a very tough result, disaster is another thing in life,” he added.
“The only way is to move forward. There is competitions to win, very quickly we have to turn over.
“Obviously it’s a tough one and fortunately a lot of losses we had, but nothing to complain.
“Just look forward and win.”