Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi feels his side ‘lost their character’ in the closing stages of the DStv Premiership clash with Swallows FC.

The Brazilians extended their unbeaten run in the league to 13 games after playing out to a 1-1 draw with The Birds at the Lucas Moripe Stadium this past Saturday.

Sundowns remain at the top of the league standings level on 27 points with Swallows after 13 matches played so far this season.

However, Mngqithi feels his side should have been more focused in the final five minutes of the game after Musa Nyatama’s equaliser late in stoppage time.

‘We started the game very well with a high press and we wanted to press them from the back and that is where the goal came from,’ Mngqithi told his club’s official website.

‘We did a lot of good work in the first half where we made sure that we did not give them time and that gave us a more dominant first half.

‘In the second half, we were dragged because they were playing more long ball and we had to make changes like Pitso to try and close down Vuyo Mere and close down Lebo Mokoena with Vilakazi and that worked tremendously well but, unfortunately, they kept pumping the ball forward and we knew they will get the fouls and set pieces and we were punished from that.’

He added: ‘The equaliser was a sucker punch, those last five minutes our players lost character, started kicking the ball out and not playing even when they had options around them and resulted in the foul.

‘The truth of the matter is, it felt bad in a game where you think you did everything in your power to get the result and it was at the death of the game where we conceded that silly goal.’