Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says they cannot make any excuses about the slippery conditions at the FNB Stadium after the loss to Orlando Pirates.
The Buccaneers raced to a two-goal lead in the opening five minutes through Relebohile Mofokeng, but pulled one back after the break courtesy of Khuliso Mudau.
Despite the loss, Masandawana advantage at the top of the table remains intact and are 15-points clear of the Buccaneers in second-place.
READ | Pirates sink Sundowns to keep title ambitions alive
"True, when you start the game like this you should not expect good things. I can only comment that we have a good reaction after the goal until 25th minute and then we played until halftime with the heart but not the brain," Cardoso told SuperSport TV.
"The brain stayed in the locker room and football is played with the brain. In the second half, we brought a little bit more brain on the pitch unfortunately there was a period of 15 minutes that the referee allowed not to play no one.
"Everybody falling on the ground, no football and that took out our energy. If it was a strategy, it was a good strategy because it took our energy out. We were punished at the beginning what more can I say," he added.
After the firing start, the Buccaneers went in a shell according to the former Esperance coach and added the slippery conditions was similar to the other encounter between the two last month.
"Pirates after winning (leading) 2-0 they settled back waiting, looking for nothing. Sometimes football is like this, nothing to say. We were penalised by our entrance in the game that's it," Cardoso said.
"All of them were playing with the right studs, but it's good because there was a lot of noise in the first match about players slipping and today was similar.
"So it's the conditions we have and have nothing to say about that. We should've adapted and there's no reason to enter a match like that."