'People will say it's fatigue, BUT...' – Motsepe speaks after Downs' last-game shock

Mamelodi Sundowns chairman Tlhopie Motsepe has provided some insight into what he believes went wrong for the defending champions this season, with the title's destiny now out of their hands.

The Brazilians were stunned by TS Galaxy with a 3-2 defeat at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday evening.

A thrilling first half saw Sundowns concede twice in the opening 20 minutes courtesy of Victor Letsoalo and Sedwyn George.

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In the same half, the Tshwane giants fired back and scored two through Brayan Leon. The tie was decided in the 46th minute by Mpho Mvelase.

That result could prove consequential in the race for the league title as Sundowns now can only win the title if Pirates fail to win both of their remaining matches or lose by a significant scoreline.

For Sundowns, it will be the first time since 2020 that they will have to wait until the last day of the season to know the fate of the league title.

Speaking on SuperSport TV after the match, Motsepe dismissed the idea that fatigue had cost his side, but rather credited the teams in the Premiership for raising their game.

"First of all, our coach (Miguel Cardoso) said it at the beginning of the season that it would be a very tough campaign. There are a lot of reasons why it was tough, maybe internally from a Mamelodi Sundowns’ perspective," Motsepe said.

"People will say all sorts of [things like] fatigue, coming off the [FIFA] Club World Cup, but honestly, credit should be given to the competition and the teams that were around us in the way that they raised the bar and they raised the standard.

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"There are so many teams in the league that when we went to play them, they put on a good show, a good performance for their own supporters, for the product."

Sundowns now turn their attention to the CAF Champions League, where they take on AS FAR Rabat. The first leg of the two-legged Final will be played at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.