Mosimane remains calm in face of Wits advantage
MAMELODI Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane insists that the Absa Premiership championship race will go down to the last day of the campaign in two weeks’ time.
The dramatic 2-2 draw against relegation-threatened Baroka FC‚ who scored the equalising goal deep in injury time on Wednesday, has given the advantage to Bidvest Wits with two matches remaining.
Wits‚ who were shocked 3-1 by Free State Stars on the same night‚ lead the Brazilians by two points and the students will be crowned champions for the first time in the PSL era if they win their remaining matches against Polokwane City and Kaizer Chiefs.
On the other hand‚ Sundowns’ last two matches are against Maritzburg United and Highlands Park, where they must get six points while hoping that Wits stumble against City or Chiefs to retain the championship title.
“It is not easy and it is going to go to the wire‚” Mosimane said. He appeared calm despite dropping two crucial home points against Baroka that denied them an opportunity to go top of the standings.
“We have to keep going. At least we gained a point against Baroka FC and we wished we could have gained all three.
“It is the way it is and we have to accept it‚ there is no other way.”
He said the results of the past few weeks had proved the PSL’s unpredictable nature.
“You will never know which game you will win,” he said.
“Against Platinum Stars [at home], we dropped two points.
“Against Baroka, we dropped two more points and we went to Orlando Pirates and won.
“It is not about the quality of the team‚ it is about what is happening on the day.
“We have Maritzburg United in our next match and I know that if we are fresher we can do something.”
Reflecting on the 2-2 draw against Baroka‚ Mosimane admitted they had not been at their best but had given the match everything.
“To tell you the truth‚ they were stronger than us physically‚ sharper than us and a bit quicker than us but I know why,” he said.
“We have played three games and they have not played since Bloemfontein Celtic if I am not mistaken.
“We played against Wits‚ a game that took a lot from our legs‚ against Platinum Stars who were fighting at the bottom of the log‚ and Orlando Pirates.
“I saw how Baroka fought against Pirates and I knew they were going to fight against us.
“I thought in terms of tactics we could have done something better, but we didn’t and they matched us.
“A point was not good enough for us, but that is what we gained and it is the way it is,” he said.
He said he had spoken to defender Thapelo Morena‚ who conceded the late penalty‚ and he had admitted that the ball hit his hand.
“He says the ball first hit the body and it went to the hand.
“It reminds me of a match against Golden Arrows where the ball hit Nkosinathi Mthiyane’s body and then the hand, but referee Ace Ncobo said it was not a penalty.”