Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana admits that his side did not pitch up the their MTN8 final against Bidvest Wits at the Mbombela Stadium.

The Brazilian suffered a 3-0 defeat in the finals of the tournament through a brace by Daine Klate and a goal from Eleazar Rodgers.

Kekana admits that his side did not perform the way they expected but he insists that this is a learning curve for Sundowns, who will next take on Zamalek in the Caf Champions League finals.

‘The game was a very tough one. As Mamelodi Sundowns players we didn’t pitch up as we expected to,’ Kekana said after the defeat.

‘We need to learn from that. We lost to a very good team, Wits are good team, they did their homework well.’

Despite the defeat, Kekana has urged his teammates to lift up their heads and focus in the coming matches, including the two-legged African Champions League final against Egyptian side Zamalek.

The 31-year-old says his side needs to keep their heads up and focus on their upcoming matches in the Absa Premiership and Caf Champions League.

‘We need to lift up our heads up and try to learn from our mistakes. We gave the ball away on too many occasions. That was our downfall. We need to learn and move forward to our next game,’ he added.

Mamelodi Sundowns go head-to-head against Zamalek in the Caf Champions League final first-leg at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on October 15.