The morning after he had suffered his worst defeat, Pitso Mosimane could force a grin as the Premier Soccer League named him coach of the month for February/March yesterday.
He could also afford to crack jokes, urging reporters to ask him "about the previous night and move on".
But Mosimane was still tetchy, as can be expected following Mamelodi Sundowns' 5-0 drubbing by Bloemfontein Celtic, which all but confirmed Kaizer Chiefs would replace them as Absa Premiership champions.
On one occasion, Mosimane didn't complete a question at the press conference, reasoning that the reporter who had posed it was not concentrating.
But it may have been a sign of how hurtful the defeat to Celtic - which left Chiefs needing just three points to seal the championship - had been.
"Yes, it was," Mosimane responded when one inquisitor asked if the loss ranked as his worst night in football.
"But it's not about me. It's about Sundowns. I must say our fans showed maturity. Even as we were losing, they kept on singing."
That singing could turn to sorrow on April 29, when Sundowns host Kaizer Chiefs in a match that could have a huge dose of irrelevance about it.
Chiefs will win the title if they beat Polokwane City on Wednesday. Such is their big lead - 13 points - that even a draw, combined with Sundowns' failure to beat Platinum Stars on the same day, could suffice.
No wonder Mosimane, who publicly refused to throw in the towel, spoke of a new goal of merely securing second spot, which guarantees participation in the African Champions League.
"Mathematically we can still win it," Mosimane said, without any conviction. "But that depends on what others do, and we are not worried about that. We want to finish as high as possible so that we can be in the Champions League next year. We are a highly ambitious team. I'm an ambitious coach."
However defiant he may be, even he would privately concede his ambitions of a second championship in a row have been curtailed.
TITLE RUN-IN
Chiefs to play:
Polokwane City (home, Wednesday)
Sundowns (away, April 29)
Wits (home, May 6)
Chippa (away, May 9)
Sundowns to play:
Platinum Stars (home, Wednesday)
Chiefs (home, April 29)
Platinum Stars (away, May 3)
SuperSport (away, May 6)
AmaTuks (home, May 9)
Hurt Pitso knows title race is over
The morning after he had suffered his worst defeat, Pitso Mosimane could force a grin as the Premier Soccer League named him coach of the month for February/March yesterday.
He could also afford to crack jokes, urging reporters to ask him "about the previous night and move on".
But Mosimane was still tetchy, as can be expected following Mamelodi Sundowns' 5-0 drubbing by Bloemfontein Celtic, which all but confirmed Kaizer Chiefs would replace them as Absa Premiership champions.
On one occasion, Mosimane didn't complete a question at the press conference, reasoning that the reporter who had posed it was not concentrating.
But it may have been a sign of how hurtful the defeat to Celtic - which left Chiefs needing just three points to seal the championship - had been.
"Yes, it was," Mosimane responded when one inquisitor asked if the loss ranked as his worst night in football.
"But it's not about me. It's about Sundowns. I must say our fans showed maturity. Even as we were losing, they kept on singing."
That singing could turn to sorrow on April 29, when Sundowns host Kaizer Chiefs in a match that could have a huge dose of irrelevance about it.
Chiefs will win the title if they beat Polokwane City on Wednesday. Such is their big lead - 13 points - that even a draw, combined with Sundowns' failure to beat Platinum Stars on the same day, could suffice.
No wonder Mosimane, who publicly refused to throw in the towel, spoke of a new goal of merely securing second spot, which guarantees participation in the African Champions League.
"Mathematically we can still win it," Mosimane said, without any conviction. "But that depends on what others do, and we are not worried about that. We want to finish as high as possible so that we can be in the Champions League next year. We are a highly ambitious team. I'm an ambitious coach."
However defiant he may be, even he would privately concede his ambitions of a second championship in a row have been curtailed.
TITLE RUN-IN
Chiefs to play:
Polokwane City (home, Wednesday)
Sundowns (away, April 29)
Wits (home, May 6)
Chippa (away, May 9)
Sundowns to play:
Platinum Stars (home, Wednesday)
Chiefs (home, April 29)
Platinum Stars (away, May 3)
SuperSport (away, May 6)
AmaTuks (home, May 9)
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