Did Nuno Santos, Bennet Mokoena and Tsiki Ntsabeleng meet expectations in Mamelodi Sundowns' shock loss to Golden Arrows? Miguel Cardoso has 'nothing to point'

Mamelodi Sundowns suffered their first Premier Soccer League defeat this season on Wednesday when they fell to Golden Arrows by a solitary goal.

It was the first time the defending champions had lost to Abafana Bes'thende, across all competitions, since November 2019.

This season, the Brazilians have managed five wins, three draws, and a loss in the nine South African top-tier matches played.

In the match against Arrows, coach Miguel Cardoso gave a chance to his new arsenal, Nuno Santos and Tsiki Ntsabeleng, who recently joined the team.

Bennet Mokoena, who is just 18, was also given a chance after starring in DDC, where he scored four goals in the U21's 5-2 win over Durban City.

Despite giving their best, the trio just couldn't help Masandawana get a result against Manqoba Mngqithi's side. Portuguese tactician Miguel Cardoso was satisfied with what he saw.

“The new players tried their best, I have nothing [bad] to point out; we brought in Nuno and dropped Marcelo to be closer to Teboho in order to implement the capacity to play in the middle. I think I have nothing [bad] to say, he did very well," the former Esperance coach said in his post-match interview.

“Then we brought Bennet, he is a goal-scorer and is a player who is pretty dangerous. I believe he is a player for the future and already now. Obviously, he’s still very young, but we saw him on the pitch.

It’s like he’s been there for one year already; he was comfortable," Cardoso continued.

“He could have scored but missed the target, but we felt his presence on the pitch.

“Ntsiki is still adapting, even physically, and understanding what we want,” he concluded.

All the players at Sundowns have to step up and ensure the club delivers in the remaining competitions.

Masandawana have already lost MTN8 and are struggling in the early days of the Premier Soccer League. 

They will need to improve if they are to grab glory in the Carling Knockout, Nedbank Cup, and CAF Champions League competitions.

Their immediate next outing for the club will be at the Lucas Moripe Stadium against Richards Bay.