Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has backed under-fire goalkeeper Reyaad Pieterse after he conceded an own goal in the Telkom Knockout quarter-final defeat to Baroka.

The Chloorkop-based outfit succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Bakgaga with the former Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United shot-stopper largely at fault for the second goal as he parried in a deflection into his own net.

Former Bafana Bafana mentor Mosimane, however, claimed that the best goalkeepers in the world also make errors.

Reyaad Pieterse has got to be the unluckiest person on earth. He made a mess of another ball today as Baroka FC beat Mamelodi Sundowns 2 – 0 in Polokwane #TKO2018 pic.twitter.com/5a9jTaMpyi

— Sporty Issues (@Sporty__Issues) November 3, 2018

‘Do I really want to judge him on that? A penalty and a deflection? I have seen a deflection scored against Denis Onyango. I have seen a deflection against [Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng] Khune,’ he is quoted as saying by the club’s official website.

‘I have seen a deflection against [Manchester United goalkeeper, David] De Gea and it goes in,’ Mosimane said. ‘All those top goalkeepers, even penalties. So really, I don’t think I should blame him for those two goals.

‘Let’s be honest. It’s not about Reyaad. Let’s not kill the players because we are still going to need him. When he played against Golden Arrows, he had a decent game and there were no questions about his performance,’ he added.

Still, Mosimane lambasted his team’s performance at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

‘We need to accept the loss and move on. As much as we controlled and dominated the game, control and dominance don’t win you games. What wins you games are the goals. We didn’t score any goals. We didn’t look like we could score, to be honest.

‘In the first half, maybe but in the second half, it didn’t look like we could score. It was a handball in the box, a penalty and the second one was a deflection, 2-0. We have to accept this and move on.’

Photo: Backpagepix