Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena questioned the logic behind scheduling their Carling Knockout Cup clash away to TS Galaxy within the FIFA break.

Sundowns were without seven Bafana Bafana players when they were eliminated via penalties at the Mbombela Stadium on Wednesday night, a day after the national team faced Ivory Coast in Abidjan. The fixture was brought forward to accommodate Downs’ participation in the inaugural African Football League this weekend, but that didn’t stop Mokwena from being vocal about his displeasure.

“Which team gets to play the next day after the national team played and has five players in the starting lineup and then plays the next day? Which team? We’re the first team to do that but no one will care. The blame will be on the coach and that’s the job I chose and that’s the responsibility that I should take,” said Mokwena.

He continued: “No, that’s life, that’s football, you win some, you lose some and you lose more than you win. When we’ve been winning and going for 365 days without a defeat, we’ve been happy and we’ve been the best coaches and the best players in the world. So, when we lose then we become the worst coaches and the worst players in the world. So, it’s how the cookie crumbles.”

Sundowns’ fight back was made harder by midfielder Bongani Zungu’s red card in the 58th minute following a gruesome tackle on Galaxy striker Bernard Parker.