Sundowns’ Cassius Mailula opens up on costly Wiliete mistake

"It did hurt me a lot and I also spoke to the team about it," Mailula said. Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Cassius Mailula has revealed how his teammates helped him overcome a costly mistake that contributed to the club’s shock CAF Champions League exit. Mailula came under scrutiny after giving the ball away in the second leg of Sundowns’ second preliminary round tie against Angolan outfit Wiliete SC at Loftus Versfeld, with Mabululu capitalising on the error. The 25-year-old was subsequently left out of the match-day squad for Sundowns’ Carling Knockout clash against Marumo Gallants before returning to the team for matches against Durban City and Golden Arrows. ‘It hurt me’ Speaking on Radio 2000 ahead of the CAF Super Cup showdown against USM Alger, Mailula admitted that the mistake had taken an emotional toll on him. “It did hurt me a lot and I also spoke to the team about it, and we have a very good group. Senior players talked to me saying mistakes happen,” Mailula said. “You gave us a lot of wind and what’s important now is just to come back stronger and help the team win important games. “It’s one of those mistakes that you wouldn’t expect to happen in such a very crucial game.” Mailula, however, insists he has taken valuable lessons from the experience as he looks to put the disappointment behind him. “It’s a good lesson for me to know as an attacker when to drop and when to come into that half space and just play one touch or two touches,” he added. What Mshishi told Mailula The Sundowns attacker also singled out veteran midfielder Themba Zwane for the encouragement he received following the setback. “Also having players like Shika (Themba Zwane) in our team is very good because he also spoke to me and told me to calm down,” he concluded. “He told me he has done the same thing in his career, and it helped him a lot to grow and understand that he can’t repeat the same mistake.” Mailula will now hope to put the disappointment behind him when Sundowns take on USM Alger at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm. The attacker has also been included in Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane’s squad for the upcoming back-to-back 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Kenya later this month.