Brandon Petersen saved Kaizer Chiefs - Rulani Mokwena

In the end, The Brazilians walked away modest 2-1 winners over Amakhosi at the Lucas Moripe Stadium and, though Petersen’s blunder handed Downs a late winner, Mokwena argued he was the Soweto side's best player.

With 75 percent ball possession, Sundowns couldn’t add to their tally. 

"We squandered so many chances today, but also you've got to give credit to the goalkeeper, [Brandon] Petersen – I thought he was man of the match in my opinion," said Mokwena.

"And yet, also give credit to Chiefs for being a worthy opponent in a game like this, where you need two sides, and I thought they were resilient and very aggressive defensively.

"But, yeah, proud of the players once again and congratulations to the team for a well-deserved win, in my opinion."

Asked if Sundowns are lacking a striker following the departure of Casius Mailula to MLS side Toronto FC, the coach insisted they have enough depth in their squad though weighed down by the medical room.

"Do we need a striker? We need [Abubeker] Nasir to return from injury, we need Thapelo Morena back from injury, and then we have a little bit of a cushion and buffer in that space," he responded.

"We also have the situation with Kutumela, so we need to clarify that also. There's no real urgency in that situation, so maybe the word 'need' is too strong."