Despite already guiding his side to a league and cup double, Mamelodi Sundowns boss Rulani Mokwena is struggling to get over their Champions League exit.
The Brazilians were undone in their continental semi-final clash by Tunisian giants, and four-time winners of the CAF competition, Esperance.
Sundowns conceded a goal in each leg without reply to exit the competition, where a final against Egypt’s Al Ahly was the prize.
Mokwena more recently secured the DStv Premiership, with six games to spare, having already guided his side to the innagural African Football League trophy with victory over Wydad AC.
Sundowns will also compete in the Nedbank Cup final after defeating Stellenbosch 2-1 in their semi-final for the prospect of a third trophy this season.
As the club prepares to maintain their unbeaten league run with a result against Golden Arrows on Wednesday, Mokwena admitted that the Champions League loss still weighs heavy on his mind.
The Sundowns coach said in the Citizen: “I’m still reeling and I’m talking personally. Someone tried to console me and said you have a double already with the AFL and the league so why are you still reeling?
“But I’m reeling because I feel like I’ve let the club down, let the supporters down and this group down because it’s my job to lead.
“When we fail, it’s my job to stand in front and assume the responsibility so I don’t think it will make up for it.
“We deserved to be in the semi-finals of the champions league and based on the performance in the second leg, I think we did enough to give ourselves a chance to be in the final but things didn’t go our way.”
Sundowns face Orlando Pirates in the final of the Nedbank Cup at the Mbombela Stadium on June 1. It was the Buccaneers who defeated Sundowns in the final of this season’s MTN8.
Mokwena added: “It’s been tough, amazing and a roller coaster ride. We won the league and the next day at training Ronwen Williams told me to smile a little bit. I said to him that in good moments I try and I’ve learned this because I’ve failed so many times.”